Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Using RGB Image Processing for Designing an Alginate Edible Film

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Food and Bioprocess Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The use of edible films to coat food products is a technique that allows for an extended shelf-life. One of the most widely used polymers is calcium alginate. However, this polymer can modify the original food color and the perception by consumers. The objective was to design an alginate film based principally on color changes using a RGB color model. Edible films were prepared with sodium alginate and glycerol as plasticizer, cross-linking the polymer with calcium. Dry and hydrated states of the edible films were studied. Film thickness was directly proportional to surface concentration and increased with hydration. There is a zone in which the color does not change with alginate surface concentration and another where the color is directly proportional to it. This latter scenario is not a consequence of structural changes or the degree of hydration. Results showed a range where the color was not modified by the alginate concentration; hence, an optimal surface concentration was determined as a design parameter. Edible films made using the optimal surface concentration would not mask microbial contamination and have good physical properties (water vapor transmission and swelling) compared with other surface concentrations. In addition, it was possible to model alginate surface concentration as a function of surface color using mathematical tools (clustering, linear regression, and support vector machine), allowing one to study the optimal use of the edible films.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acevedo, C. A., Skurtys, O., Young, M. E., Enrione, J., Pedreschi, F., & Osorio, F. (2009a). A non-destructive digital imaging method to predict immobilized yeast-biomass. LWT Food Science and Technology, 42(8), 1444–1449.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Acevedo, C. A., Brown, D. I., Young, M. E., & Reyes, J. G. (2009b). Senescent cultures of human dermal fibroblasts modified phenotype when immobilized in fibrin polymer. Journal of Biomaterials Science, 20(13), 1929–1942.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Almonacid, S. F., Nájera, A. L., Young, M. E., Simpson, R. J., & Acevedo, C. A. (2010). A comparative study of stout beer batch fermentation using free and microencapsulated yeasts. Food and Bioprocess Technology. doi:10.1007/s11947-010-0379-4.

  • ASTM. (1989). Standard test methods for water vapor transmission of materials: E96-80. In Annual book of American standard testing methods. Philadelphia: ASTM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertuzzi, M. A., Castro Vidaurre, E. F., Armada, M., & Gottifredi, J. C. (2007). Water vapor permeability of edible starch based films. Journal of Food Engineering, 80(3), 972–978.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Billmeyer, F. W., & Saltzman, M. (1966). Principles of color technology. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boser, B. E., Guyon, I. M., & Vapnik, V. N. (1992). A training algorithm for optimal margin classifiers. In Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Workshop on Computational Learning Theory (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, July 27 - 29, 1992). COLT ′92. ACM, New York, NY, 144–152. doi:10.1145/130385.130401.

  • Bouhadir, K. H., & Mooney, D. J. (2002). Synthesis of hydrogels: Alginate hydrogels. In A. Atala & R. Lanza (Eds.), Methods of tissue engineering (pp. 653–662). San Diego: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cisneros-Zevallos, L., & Krochta, J. M. (2003). Dependence of coating thickness on viscosity of coating solution applied to fruits and vegetables by dipping method. Journal of Food Science, 68(2), 503–510.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fabra, M. J., Talens, P., & Chiralt, A. (2009). Microstructure and optical properties of sodium caseinate films containing oleic acid–beeswax mixtures. Food Hydrocolloid, 23(3), 676–683.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fan, R. E., Chen, P. H., & Lin, C. J. (2005). Working set selection using the second order information for training SVM. Journal of Machine Learning Research, 6, 1889–1918.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, G. T., Morris, E. R., Rees, D. A., Smith, P. J. C., & Thom, D. (1973). Biological interactions between polysaccharides and divalent cations: The egg-box model. FEBS Letters, 32(1), 195–198.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchings, J. B. (1999). Food color and appearance. Maryland: Aspen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jongjareonrak, A., Benjakul, S., Visessanguan, W., Prodpran, T., & Tanaka, M. (2006). Characterization of edible films from skin gelatin of brownstripe red snapper and bigeye snapper. Food Hydrocolloids, 20(4), 492–501.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Klock, G., Pfeffermann, A., Ryser, C., Grohn, P., Kuttler, B., Hahn, H., et al. (1997). Biocompatibility of mannuronic acid-rich alginates. Biomaterials, 18(10), 707–713.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lana, M. M., Tijskens, L. M. M., & Van Kooten, O. (2006). Modelling RGB colour aspects and translucency of fresh-cut tomatoes. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 40(1), 15–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • León, K., Mery, D., Pedreschi, F., & León, J. (2006). Color measurement in L*a*b* units from RGB digital images. Food Research International, 39(10), 1084–1091.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinsen, A., Skjåk-Bræk, G., & Smidsrød, O. (1989). Alginate as immobilization material: I. Correlation between chemical and physical properties of alginate gel beads. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 33(1), 79–89.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mendoza, F., Dejmek, P., & Aguilera, J. M. (2006). Calibrated color measurements of agricultural foods using image analysis. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 41(3), 285–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McHugh, H. T., Avena-Bustillos, R., & Krochta, J. M. (1993). Hydrophilic edible films: modified procedure for water vapor permeability and explanation of thickness effects. Journal of Food Science, 58(4), 899–903.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olivas, G., & Barbosa-Canovas, G. (2005). Edible coatings for fresh-cut fruits. Critical Reviews Food Science Nutrition, 45(8), 657–670.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olivas, G., & Barbosa-Canovas, G. (2008). Water vapor permeability and mechanical properties as affected by plasticizer and relative humidity. LWT Food Science and Technology, 41(2), 359–366.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Park, H. J., Weller, C. L., Vergano, P. J., & Testin, R. F. (1993). Permeability and mechanical properties of cellulose-based edible materials. Journal of Food Science, 58(6), 1361–1364.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parris, N., Coffin, D. R., Joubran, R. F., & Pessen, H. (1995). Composition factors affecting the water vapor permeability and tensile properties of hydrophilic films. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 43, 1432–1435.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pedreschi, F., León, J., Mery, D., & Moyano, P. (2006). Development of a computer vision system to measure the color of potato chips. Food Research International, 39(10), 1092–1098.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poynton, C. A. (2003). Digital video and HDTV: Algorithms and interfaces. San Francisco: Kaufmann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhim, J. W. (2004). Physical and mechanical properties of water resistant sodium alginate films. Lebensmittel-Wissenschaft und Technologie, 37(3), 323–330.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rojas-Graü, M. A., Tapia, M. S., Rodríguez, F. J., Carmona, A. J., & Martin-Belloso, O. (2007a). Alginate and gellan-based edible coatings as carriers of antibrowning agents applied on fresh-cut Fuji apples. Food Hydrocolloids, 21(1), 118–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rojas-Graü, M. A., Avena-Bustillos, R. J., Olsen, C., Friedman, M., Henika, P. R., Martin-Belloso, O., et al. (2007b). Effects of plant essential oils and oil compounds on mechanical, barrier and antimicrobial properties of alginate–apple puree edible films. Journal of Food Engineering, 81(3), 634–641.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russ, J. C. (1999). Image processing handbook (3rd edn). Boca Raton: CRC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saeed, A. I., Sharov, V., White, J., Li, J., Liang, W., Bhagabati, N., et al. (2003). TM4: a free, open-source system for microarray data management and analysis. Biotechniques, 34(2), 374–378.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, R., Chung, L., Andrews, A., Spyratou, O., & Turner, T. (1993). Biocompatibility of wound management products: a study of the effect of various polysaccharides on murine L929 fibroblast proliferation and macrophage respiratory burst. The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 45(6), 508–513.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Skurtys, O., Acevedo, C. A., Pedreschi, F., Enrione, J., Osorio F., & Aguilera, J. M. (2009). Food hydrocolloid edible films and coatings. In S.H. Clarence (Eds.), Food hydrocolloids: Characteristics, properties and structures. New York: Nova Science.

  • Tanska, M., Rotkiewicz, D., Kozirok, W., & Konopka, I. (2005). Measurement of the geometrical features and surface color of rapeseeds using digital image analysis. Food Research International, 38(7), 741–750.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villalobos, R., Chanona, J., Hernández, P., Gutiérrez, G., & Chiralt, A. (2005). Gloss and transparency of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose films containing surfactants as affected by their microstructure. Food Hydrocolloid, 19(1), 53–61.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vauchel, P., Kaas, R., Arhaliass, A., Baron, R., & Legrand, J. (2008). A new process for extracting alginates from Laminaria digitata: reactive extrusion. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 1(3), 297–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, H., & Wright, J. R. (2002). Microencapsulation methods: Alginate (Ca2+-induced gelation). In A. Atala & R. Lanza (Eds.), Methods of tissue engineering (pp. 787–801). San Diego: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu, H., & MacGregor, J. F. (2003). Multivariate image analysis and regression for prediction of coating content and distribution in the production of snack foods. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems, 67(2), 125–144.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zactiti, E. M., & Kieckbusch, T. G. (2006). Potassium sorbate permeability in biodegradable alginate films: effect of the antimicrobial agent concentration and crosslinking degree. Journal of Food Engineering, 77(3), 462–467.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Funding from CONICYT (FONDECYT Grant 11090051 and PBCT Grant PSD-62), CORFO (INNOVA Grant 08CT11 PUT-20), UTFSM (DGIP Grant 231021) and USACH (DICYT Grant 080771 OL) are appreciated.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biotecnología, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Avenida España 1680, Valparaíso, Chile

    Cristian A. Acevedo

  2. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Facultad Tecnológica, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Avenida Ecuador 3769, Santiago, Chile

    Darío A. López, María J. Tapia, Javier Enrione, Olivier Skurtys & Fernando Osorio

  3. Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Bioprocesos, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackena 4869, Santiago, Chile

    Franco Pedreschi

  4. Departamento de Biología y Ciencias Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Avenida Gran Bretaña 1111, Valparaíso, Chile

    Donald I. Brown

  5. Departamento de Electrónica, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Avenida España 1680, Valparaíso, Chile

    Werner Creixell

  6. Center for Spatial Information Science, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, 277-8568, Japan

    Werner Creixell

Authors
  1. Cristian A. Acevedo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Darío A. López
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. María J. Tapia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Javier Enrione
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Olivier Skurtys
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Franco Pedreschi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Donald I. Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Werner Creixell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Fernando Osorio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cristian A. Acevedo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Acevedo, C.A., López, D.A., Tapia, M.J. et al. Using RGB Image Processing for Designing an Alginate Edible Film. Food Bioprocess Technol 5, 1511–1520 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-010-0453-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-010-0453-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation