Structural, Thermal, Mechanical, and Physicochemical Properties of Corn Starch and Tremella fuciformis Polysaccharide Based Composite Films

Abstract Composite films are prepared using corn starch and Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide (TFP) at different ratios (4:0, 3:1, 2:2, 1:3, 0:4, corn starch:TFP). The morphology, thermal properties, water resistance properties, opacity, and mechanical properties are investigated to evaluate the performance of composite films. The film surface becomes smooth with the increase in TFP proportion. The retrogradation enthalpy of corn starch is decreased from 2.60 to 1.10 J g −1 starch by the presence of TFP. The moisture content of films does not change with TFP ratio. The water vapor transmission and solubility increase significantly with the increasing TFP ratio. Moreover, the solubility of the pure TFP film is 100%. The transparency and surface hydrophobicity of films are improved with the increase in TFP ratio. The increase in TFP ratio decreases the tensile strength and glass transition temperature of films, while the elongation at break increases from 33.12% to 141.96%. In conclusion, composite films obtained from corn starch and TFP have the potential to be used as food packaging films. However, the ratio of corn starch and TFP should be more than 2:2 to ensure thermal stability of the composite film.