Effect of Bee Pollen on the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Starch Films Carles A. C. Macieira, 1 Suely J. P. Correia, 1 Ana Paula Beliza´rio de Sousa, 1 Ricardo L. C. Albuquerque Ju´nior, 1 Yzila L. F. Maia Arau´jo, 1 Mateus S. Melo, 1 Luiz P. Costa, 2 Juliana C. Cardoso, 1 Francine F. Padilha * 1 Summary: The use of casein, starch and bee pollen as biodegradable materials has been promise. The objective of this work was the development and characterization of films containing casein, pollen and starch. The films were obtained by casting process and the solvent evaporation was performed at 40 8C/24 h. The films characterization was carried out by microscopy, thermal analysis, opacity test, mechanical properties and barrier methods. The starch films presented hetero- geneous on microscopy analysis. The thermal behaviors of pollen films were similar. The formulation containing only pollen 3% was unable to form film. The introduction of pollen in starch film formulation improved the mechanical characteristic and thermal stability of films. Keywords: bee pollen; casein; films; mechanical profile; starch Introduction Biodegradable films have been studied in order to find environmentally friendly packa- ging, to improve the quality of food products, and to find new markets for existing materials. Film is a thin, continuous layer of polymer that may control mass transfer, provide mechanical protection. The films can also extend the shelf-life of different products by limiting moisture migration. Mechanical characteristics must be sufficient to maintain film integrity throughout production and handling practices. [1,2] These films have been used in pharma- ceutical and food technology, in order to improve the stability of drugs and food. They are used as coating dosage forms and food packaging. Various natural biodegrad- able macromolecules such as proteins and polysaccharides–based films can serve as coating materials due to their functional properties as barrier. The multicomponent systems, where protein and/or polysacchar- ides form a continuous, cohesive network have been studied. [1–3] The characteristics of edible films include the renewable nature of their ingredients. [4] The use of proteins as casein, polysaccharides as starch or product pro- tein/carbohydrate-rich as bee pollen has been promise due to their biodegradable characteristics. Proteins and polysacchar- ides generally form films with good mechanical properties. [3] Films are produced using milk proteins. These films may retard moisture loss, show good tensile strength and moderate elonga- tion. [1,5] Starch is one of the most studied biopolymers and starch based blends are an alternative to the most common biodegrad- able polymers applied in the biomedical field. [6] Bee pollen is a hive derived product of great commercial interest owing to its high nutritional quality and can be con- sidered a potential source of proteins. [7] It contains about 20% of protein, 2.5% ash, 6% lipids. [8,9] The aim of this work was the Macromol. Symp. 2010, 296, 609–616 DOI: 10.1002/masy.201051079 609 1 Biomaterials Laboratory, Technology and Research Institute (ITP) and Tiradentes University, Av. Murilo Dantas, 300, 49032-490, Aracaju, SE, Brazil Fax: þ55 (79) 32182190; E-mail: fpadilha@yahoo.com 2 Chemistry Department, Center of Science and Tech- nology Studies, Sergipe Federal University, 49100-000, Sa ˜ o Cristova ˜o, SE, Brazil Copyright ß 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim wileyonlinelibrary.com