Characterization of octenyl succinylated potato-starch based films enriched with extracts from various honey-bee products

The study developed octenyl succinylated (OS) potato starch complexes with ethanolic extracts of honey bee products (HBE) and assess their effects on starch-based films properties. X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis showed that OS starch films had lower crystallinity and higher thermal stability than native ones. Adding HBE enhanced V-type ordering in OS films. Starch esterification raised the water contact angle (WCA) from 52.9° to 62.3°, with hydrophobicity improvements when HBE was added (WCA >78.9°). OS starch-HBE complexes increased the antioxidant properties compared to non-modified starch films, in the order: propolis > bee bread > bee pollen > buckwheat honey > multiflower honey. The sum of individual phenolic compounds (IPC) in OS starch films was significantly higher compared to native counterparts, showing increases of 35 %, 83 % and 20 % for films with bee pollen, bee bread, and propolis, respectively. The latter film exhibited the highest IPC, totaling 2204.4 mg/100 g. While OS starch did not affect the antimicrobial properties of the films, the incorporation of HBE significantly improved their ability to bacterial inhibition, with propolis showing the strongest effect. Despite reduced optical and sensory properties of OS films, OS starch complexes with bee bread and propolis show great potential for food packaging.