Supercritical Adsorption of Quercetin on Aerogels for Active Packaging Applications

Quercetin, a flavonoid with outstanding antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, was adsorbed onto maize starch aerogel (MSA) and calcium alginate aerogel (CAA) through supercritical carbon dioxide adsorption. The composite systems may be applied in active packaging for food preservation. Supercritical adsorption experiments were performed at 180 bar and 40 and 60 °C. They showed that the higher amount of charged quercetin was obtained at 60 °C onto CAA as support. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), specific surface area (SSA) determination, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to characterize the composite systems. In vitro dissolution tests were also performed to study the possibility of employing quercetin adsorbed onto MSA and CAA as an active layer in food packaging.