Nanochemistry and biotechnology

Surface properties of gelatin gels deposited on solid supports
Chodkowski M.1, Terpiłowski K.1, Perez-Huertas S.1
1 Department of Interfacial Phenomena, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Plac Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej 3, 20-031 Lublin, Poland.
E-mail: terpil@umcs.pl

Lately great development of plasma techniques was observed. Plasma activation of a surface is widely used for instance in automotive, medical and paint industries. Plasma techniques are also considered for disinfection packaging in the food industry. There are numerous investigations on plasma disinfection of food packaging reported in the literature [1].
The studies on surface properties of ions inducted gels were carried out. The aim of the research was to investigate how plasma affects for surface properties of gelatin gels. After gelation gels were removed from the support surface. Then water (Milli-Q 18.2 MΩ·cm ultrapure water) and diiodomethane (Sigma-Aldrich 99%) contact angles were measured on the gels surfaces contacted with the supports. In the case of 1% and 2% gels it was impossible to measure the contact angle because of the water concentration in the sample. Wettability of the gels with gelatin concentration 3-5% was investigated.
The plasma activation of the support surface affects on the gels wettability. The effect depends on the kind of support and the plasma parameters. The most important conclusion is that the nitrogen plasma can be used for disinfection of packages made from glass and used for gels. However, air plasma is more justified from the economical point of view.

1.	Thirumdas R., Annapure U.S., Sarangapani C. Cold Plasma: A novel Non-Thermal Technology for Food Processing // Food Biophysics.-2015.-10, N 1.P1-11.