Mechanical and Barrier Properties of Egg Albumen Films

Films were cast and dried from heated, alkaline aqueous egg albumen solutions containing glycerin (GLY) at 30, 40, or 50% w/w of protein, polyethylene glycol (PEG) at 50 or 60%, or sorbitol (S) at 50 or 60% as plasticizers. PEG‐plasticized (60%) films also were prepared by substituting 10, 30, 50, or 70% of albumen with yolk solids. Film tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (E), water vapor permeability (WVP), and Hunter color values were measured. At a plasticizer content of 50%, films with S had the lowest WVP while films with PEG had the greatest E. S‐ and PEG‐plasticized films had greater TS than GLY‐plasticized films. Yolk solids decreased film TS, E, and WVP while increasing film yellowness.