{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T04:35:16Z","timestamp":1777350916698,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,2]],"date-time":"2020-09-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1599004800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Materials"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Valorization of food industry waste and plant residues represents an attractive path towards obtaining biodegradable materials and achieving \u201czero waste\u201d goals. Here, melanin was isolated from watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seeds and used as a modifier for whey protein concentrate and isolate films (WPC and WPI) at two concentrations (0.1% and 0.5%). The modification with melanin enhanced the ultraviolet (UV) blocking, water vapor barrier, swelling, and mechanical properties of the WPC\/WPI films, in addition to affecting the apparent color. The modified WPC\/WPI films also exhibited high antioxidant activity, but no cytotoxicity. Overall, the effects were melanin concentration-dependent. Thus, melanin from watermelon seeds can be used as a functional modifier to develop bioactive biopolymer films with good potential to be exploited in food packaging and biomedical applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ma13173876","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,2]],"date-time":"2020-09-02T09:29:28Z","timestamp":1599038968000},"page":"3876","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":58,"title":["Whey Protein Concentrate\/Isolate Biofunctional Films Modified with Melanin from Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Seeds"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9499-8366","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u0141ukasz","family":"\u0141opusiewicz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Bioimmobilisation and Innovative Packaging Materials, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Janickiego 35, 71-270 Szczecin, Poland"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4350-7875","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emilia","family":"Droz\u0142owska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Bioimmobilisation and Innovative Packaging Materials, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Janickiego 35, 71-270 Szczecin, Poland"}]},{"given":"Paulina","family":"Trocer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Bioimmobilisation and Innovative Packaging Materials, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Janickiego 35, 71-270 Szczecin, Poland"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7493-4656","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mateusz","family":"Kostek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Bioimmobilisation and Innovative Packaging Materials, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Janickiego 35, 71-270 Szczecin, Poland"}]},{"given":"Mariusz","family":"\u015aliwi\u0144ski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dairy Industry Innovation Institute Ltd., Kormoran\u00f3w 1, 11-700 Mr\u0105gowo, Poland"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9214-0614","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marta H. F.","family":"Henriques","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, College of Agriculture, Bencanta, PT-3045-601 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"CERNAS\u2014Research Center for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Bencanta, PT-3045-601 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Artur","family":"Bartkowiak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Bioimmobilisation and Innovative Packaging Materials, Faculty of Food Sciences and Fisheries, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Janickiego 35, 71-270 Szczecin, Poland"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2097-0990","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Peter","family":"Sobolewski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Polymer and Biomaterials Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin 45 Piast\u00f3w Ave, 70-311 Szczecin, Poland"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,9,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Avramescu, S.M., Butean, C., Popa, C.V., Ortan, A., Moraru, I., and Temocico, G. 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