Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and EMBRAPA Pecuária Sudeste have developed a biodegradable biofilm derived from tambatinga fish skin, positioning the material as a potential partial substitute for synthetic plastic films used in food packaging.
The work forms part of a broader effort to produce biodegradable polymers and is supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation through its Food Research Center (FoRC). The findings were published in the scientific journal Foods.
Tambatinga, a hybrid of female tambaqui and male pirapitinga, is valued in aquaculture for its rapid growth and high collagen content. According to the researchers, its tropical origin may contribute to elevated amino acid levels in the skin, potentially improving the quality of extracted gelatin used in film production.
USP professor and food engineer Paulo José do Amaral Sobral said: “We’ve been working for over 25 years on the development of films based on biopolymers, such as proteins and polysaccharides, with the aim of applying this material to food packaging and reducing the environmental impact, since there are many problems associated with the accumulation of synthetic packaging in nature.”
The production process described by the researchers involved cleaning tambatinga skins, extracting gelatin using hot water and acetic acid, and producing films with a formulation containing two grams of gelatin per 100g of solution.
Laboratory testing showed that the resulting material demonstrated resistance to tearing, effective ultraviolet light blocking properties and lower water vapour permeability than other gelatin-based films reported in earlier studies.
However, the team identified moisture sensitivity as a key limitation. Sobral noted: “For that reason, for now, they can only be used in dehydrated products, such as nuts and chestnuts.”
The research was supervised by Sobral and carried out in collaboration with EMBRAPA researchers Manuel Antonio Chagas Jacintho and Fernanda Ramalho Procopio.
Further studies are planned to address the film’s sensitivity to humidity and to assess broader applications in packaging, as well as in pharmaceutical and biomedical sectors. Beyond material innovation, the project also points to potential value creation within aquaculture by developing higher-value uses for fish processing by-products, aligning resource efficiency with sustainability goals increasingly shaping the packaging industry.
