Abstract
Due to the environmental hazards raised by using synthetic polymers, attention has turned to biodegradable polymers such as chitosan. The unique efficiency of chitosan coatings is severely affected by using the types of solvent as well as the fillers. To evaluate the effect of solvent types and application of cellulose nanocrystals in chitosan-based coatings on internal quality and eggshell morphology, an experiment was conducted with 4 treatments including chitosan coatings dissolved in acetic and/or lactic acids, with and without cellulose nanocrystal filler during 35 days at 25oC. Results demonstrated that the reinforcement of biopolymer coatings matrix with cellulose nanocrystal had significantly improved weight loss, Haugh unit, and yolk index in coated eggs. Also, chitosan coating dissolved in acetic acid had better efficiency than lactic acid, as a view of the Haugh unit on days 21-28. At the same time, microscopic images of outer surface eggshells had somewhat confirmed the interior changes. In general, chitosan dissolved in acetic acid cellulose nanocrystal-reinforced coating can be used as an egg biodegradable packaging.