Currently, petroleum-based plastics are the most widely used materials for food packaging. However, their use poses significant environmental risks and raises concerns regarding human and animal health. Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide derived from shellfish such as crabs and lobsters, or from plant sources like mushrooms, offers a promising alternative. It is widely utilized due to its inherent biodegradability, non-toxicity, and antimicrobial properties. With the addition of certain additives, chitosan can form films that exhibit excellent thermal and mechanical properties, making it suitable for food packaging applications. The objective of this research is to produce chitosan films incorporating varying concentrations of glycerol and propolis.

The films were prepared by thoroughly mixing all components using a high-speed mixer, followed by solvent casting into Petri dish molds. These were then placed in a fume hood to accelerate solvent evaporation. Once most of the solvent had evaporated, the films were carefully removed and dried at low temperatures to ensure complete dehydration. Mechanical testing, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) were conducted on the films to evaluate their performance. An optimal composition was identified that enhanced both the mechanical and thermal properties of the chitosan films.

The results indicated that the chitosan film containing 5% propolis and 30% glycerol demonstrated mechanical performance comparable to that of commercial materials. Additionally, all films containing propolis exhibited increased thermal stability and water uptake. These findings suggest that chitosan films enhanced with propolis and glycerol represent a viable, biodegradable alternative for food packaging applications.

Future research will include Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) to further characterize the mechanical properties of the chitosan films, specifically focusing on parameters such as storage modulus, loss modulus, and tan delta (δ), which are used to determine the glass transition temperature (Tg).