Characterization of Cassava Starch-Zinc Nanocomposite Film for Food Packaging
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Date
2022
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Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Performance of a pure thermoplastic film can be enhanced by adding nanoparticles of the size ranging 1–100 nm for application in food packaging. This research was carried out to develop a nanocomposite by mechanically homogenizing different proportions of cassava starch (1000 g), glycerol (45–55%, w/w), and zinc nanocomposites (0–2%, w/w). A dispersed mixture of 24 g of these products was then mixed with distilled water (600 ml) and heated for 30 min at boiling temperature to form a thermoplastic solution. The film was formed in different sizes (15, 16, and 17 µm thickness) by casting the solution on a 350 mm ×180 mm plastic mold of different depths (8, 10, and 12 mm). The performance of the film, including barrier, thermal, and structural properties was determined using standard methods. The results showed that the oxygen and water vapor decreased with the thickness and increased with the concentration of the glycerol. Plastic d-spacing increased with an increase in thickness, and this might indicate the ability of the material to intercalate and exfoliate at some points during a prolonged packaging application. It might also indicate the short-range order of the material constituents in the film for a better service performance. A small degradation of the film was observed between 30 °C and 60 °C. This indicated that the film was thermally stable and might be suitable for packaging applications, especially in the tropical climes. The information of the characterized attributes and optimization of the cassava starch zinc-nanocomposite films justified their alternative application to pure thermoplastic and conventional films for food packaging.