Title: Bioplastic packaging from banana pseudo-stem (Musa spp.)

Biography:

The aim of this study was to produce the bioplastic packaging from banana pseudo-stem (Musa spp. cv. Nam-Wah). The cellulose of banana pseudo-stem was extracted with sodium hydroxide and then lignin removed with hydrogen peroxide. The cellulose powder was then synthesized to biopolymer: carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) by chloroacetic acid in alkaline condition. The percent yield of cellulose from banana pseudo-stem was 20.25% whereas the yield of CMC was 140.89%. The obtained CMC powder had 95.33% purity and a degree of substitution (DS) at 0.768. It was water soluble with low viscosity at 114 cPs and appeared in pale yellow color. CMC solutions were added with 3 different additives viz. glycerol, sorbitol and polyethylene glycol at 10, 20, 30 and 40% (w/v) concentrations to form bioplastic film. The higher content of all additives resulted to the thicker film, greater elongation (%), poorer water solubility and lower tensile strength. Film without any additives had the highest tensile strength. The films formed with 40% sorbitol had the highest elongation while oxygen could transmit through film with 40% polyethylene glycol at greater rate than other films.  Besides, films with 10% glycerol had the highest water solubility. All CMC-based bioplastic films could be degraded within 24 hours by burying it in high moisture content soil. Afterward, CMC films were processed to sachets for storing dry coffee powder. CMC-20% polyethylene glycol sachets could maintain quality of dry coffee powder if stored in refrigerated condition whereas CMC-30% polyethylene glycol could retain quality of dry coffee as similar as the coffee packed in aluminum foil bags at ambient air. The results indicated that bioplastic derived from the pseudo-stem of banana could be a potential material for dry food packaging.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to produce the bioplastic packaging from banana pseudo-stem (Musa spp. cv. Nam-Wah). The cellulose of banana pseudo-stem was extracted with sodium hydroxide and then lignin removed with hydrogen peroxide. The cellulose powder was then synthesized to biopolymer: carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) by chloroacetic acid in alkaline condition. The percent yield of cellulose from banana pseudo-stem was 20.25% whereas the yield of CMC was 140.89%. The obtained CMC powder had 95.33% purity and a degree of substitution (DS) at 0.768. It was water soluble with low viscosity at 114 cPs and appeared in pale yellow color. CMC solutions were added with 3 different additives viz. glycerol, sorbitol and polyethylene glycol at 10, 20, 30 and 40% (w/v) concentrations to form bioplastic film. The higher content of all additives resulted to the thicker film, greater elongation (%), poorer water solubility and lower tensile strength. Film without any additives had the highest tensile strength. The films formed with 40% sorbitol had the highest elongation while oxygen could transmit through film with 40% polyethylene glycol at greater rate than other films.  Besides, films with 10% glycerol had the highest water solubility. All CMC-based bioplastic films could be degraded within 24 hours by burying it in high moisture content soil. Afterward, CMC films were processed to sachets for storing dry coffee powder. CMC-20% polyethylene glycol sachets could maintain quality of dry coffee powder if stored in refrigerated condition whereas CMC-30% polyethylene glycol could retain quality of dry coffee as similar as the coffee packed in aluminum foil bags at ambient air. The results indicated that bioplastic derived from the pseudo-stem of banana could be a potential material for dry food packaging.