Вестник МГТУ, 2026, Т. 29, № 3.

Development of biodegradable food films based on collagen-containing ichthyosubstance derived from cod waste: The effect of chitosan and plasticizers on mechanical and barrier properties Daria S. Kolotova*, Svetlana O. Voropaeva, Ludmila A. Petrova *MurmanskArctic University, Murmansk, Russia; e-mail : kolotovads@mauniver.ru, O RCID : https://orcid.org/00 00-0002-1700-2323 Abstract Article info Received 04.06.2026; accepted 25.06.2026 Key words: biodegradable food films, food packaging, processing o f fish waste, collage, chitosan, polyelectrolyte complexes, IR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry For citation The rapid growth in the volume of synthetic polymer waste leads to serious environmental consequences, which is why the development of eco-friendly alternatives to food packaging is becoming increasingly important. The use of secondary bioresources, particularly processing waste from commercial fish species, allows simultaneously addressing the challenges of utilising by-products from the fish-processing industry and creating biodegradable packaging materials with tunable properties. The aim of this work is to develop biodegradable food films based on collagen-containing ichthyosubstance (ICS) extracted from cod waste, as well as to study the influence of chitosan (CS) and plasticisers, such as glycerol (G) and sorbitol (S), on the mechanical and barrier properties of the films. The yield of ichthyosubstance from the skin and scales of Atlantic cod was 72 %. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) was used to determine the main molecular fractions of the ichthyosubstance, which were found to be 200, 117, 100 and 89 kDa. A series of biodegradable film samples was produced based on the obtained ichthyosubstance, with the addition of chitosan and various plasticisers (glycerol and sorbitol). Comprehensive characterisation of the microstructure, physicochemical, mechanical, barrier and thermal properties (via optical microscopy, IR spectroscopy, gravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry), together with an evaluation of soil biodegradability, demonstrated that incorporating sorbitol as a plasticiser and increasing the chitosan content leads to the formation of films exhibiting enhanced uniformity, durability and thermal stability, along with lower water vapour permeability and moisture absorption. An optimal balance of mechanical and barrier properties was observed for the sample with the following composition: 60 % ICS + 37 % CS + 3 % S. The sample exhibited the following properties: tensile strength - 12.1 ± 1.1 MPa; melting point - 130.4 °C; water vapour permeability - 2819 ± 148 g/m2/day; moisture absorption - 49.0 ± 6.3 %/day. The obtained results confirm the potential of using collagen-containing ichthyosubstance from cod waste for developing eco-friendly food packaging with controlled biodegradability. Kolotova, D. S. et al. 2026. Development of biodegradable food films based on collagen-containing ichthyosubstance derived from cod waste: The effect of chitosan and plasticizers on mechanical and barrier properties. Vestnik o fMSTU, 29(3), pp. 317-334. (In Russ.) DOI: https://doi.org/10.21443/ 1560-9278-2026-29-3-317-334.