Effect of surfactants and drying rate on barrier properties of emulsified edible films

Summary The effects of globule size, nature and concentration of surfactant, and drying duration of water vapour transmission rate and tensile strength of emulsified edible barriers containing methylcellulose and paraffin wax, were measured. of the six surfactants tested, 0.6% purified glycerol monostearate (GMS) produced films with the lowest water vapour transmission rates and the highest mechanical resistance. Longer drying times of film‐forming emulsions produced better barrier and mechanical properties. Control of the film forming emulsion stability allowed the reduction of the water vapour transfer rate by an order of magnitude.