Environmental-Friendly Soy Protein Isolate/Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Blend Packaging Films: Water Vapor Permeability

The aim of the present work was to investigate the moisture sensitivity of soy protein isolate (SPI) films blending with poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) plasticized by glycerol. Water vapor permeability (WVP) was measured based on the contents of PVA and glycerol in films. WVP values of various SPI/PVA films with/without glycerol were in the range of 8.25 and 10.9 g mm/m2 h kPa. The results showed that WVP values decreased with the increasing content of PVA. Moreover, XRD tests confirmed that the glycerol would insert into the macromolecular blending structure and destroy the crystalline of blends, and the crosslinkage between glycerol molecules and SPI reduced the interstitial spaces in protein matrix, thus allowing for decreasing diffusion rate of water molecules through the films.