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Development of biodegradable food packaging plastic films

Frounchi, M ; Sharif University of Technology | 2003

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  1. Type of Document: Article
  2. Publisher: 2003
  3. Abstract:
  4. Biodegradable thermoplastic films suitable for use in food packaging were produced. These films were mainly based on thermoplastic starch. The major task included research into thermal conversion of starch in a compression molding process and also under high shear conditions in an extruder in the presence of suitable plasticizers. The destruction of crystalline structure resulted in amorphous structure with thermoplastic properties. Films were rather transparent but slightly brown in color and had a specific smell. The films showed sufficient plasticity and acceptable tensile strength and elongation. The effect of plasticizer content on the final properties of the film was investigated. The biodegradability was also tested in a compost environment and extent of degradation of the films was evaluated during a reasonable period of time. A pre-treatment process accelerated the degradation of the films. To improve processing properties of starch, degradable films based on polyethylene and thermoplastic starch blends were prepared and characterized. The mechanical properties of these blends were studied in a period of time in order to evaluate the degradability in a reasonable time span. It was found that the heat-treated films were reasonably degradable. Heat-treated films showed more accelerated degradation compared to untreated films, The loss in mechanical properties in starch/polyethylene blends during the aging process rendered thermoplastic biodegradable films
  5. Keywords:
  6. Biodegradability ; Plastic films ; Starch blends ; Thermoplastic starch
  7. Source: Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transaction B: Technology ; Volume 27, Issue 2 , 2003 , Pages 299-304 ; 03601307 (ISSN)