Title:	Biodegradable Cassava Starch-Based Films Formulated with Coconut Oil for Sustainable Food Packaging.
Authors:	LOPES, P. F. N. FELIPE, A. T. de M. MEDIEROS, F. G. M. de BASTOS, M. do S. R. MATTOS, A. L. A. MATSUI, K. N. HOSKIN, R. T.
Affiliation:	PAULA FRANCA NASCIMENTO LOPES, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE; ANA TERRA DE MEDEIROS FELIPE, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE; FABIO GONÇALVES MACÊDO DE MEDEIROS, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE; MARIA DO SOCORRO ROCHA BASTOS, CNPAT; ADRIANO LINCOLN ALBUQUERQUE MATTOS, CNPAT; KATIA NICOLAU MATSUI, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE; ROBERTA TARGINO HOSKIN, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE.
Date Issued:	2025
Citation:	Food Science and Engineering, 2025.
Description:	A large volume of plastic waste is disposed of in the enviromnent and in landfills worldwide. To remediate this serious environmental issue, sustainable alternatives to substitute traditional fossil fuel-derived plastics are necessary. In this regard, starch-degradable films are a promising avenue for promoting sustainability in the food industry due to starch’s low cost, non-toxicity, availability and desirable film-fonning capacities. However, starch-based films may have challenging water vapor banier properties and mechanical resistance. To address this issue, in this study, we investigated the use of coconut oil (CO) to improve the performance of biodegradable cassava starch-based films. Different formulations (glycerol content and CO emulsion) were tested and the developed films were assessed regarding their morphology, mechanical properties, water permeability and biodegradability. The best formulation (COF-1) was achieved using 8.70 g of glycerol and 0.5 g of CO emulsion and showed better homogeneity and tmifonnity and improved mechanical properties. COF-1 showed a maximum tensile strength of 8.12 =1: 1.99 MPa, almost three times higher than the control cassava starch-based film (CSF) produced without CO. The water vapor permeability (WVP) of COF-1 was 4.14 =1: 0.56 g-mm-m'2-day“-kPa'1, almost one-third lower compared to commercial cellophane. The incorporation of CO emulsion in the polymer matrix had a positive impact on the mechanical properties and showed good results of barrier and morphological properties. Overall, our work shows that enhanced starch-degradable fihns fonnulated with CO are potential solutions to conventional plastics, contributing to a cleaner enviromnent and a more sustainable future.
NAL Thesaurus:	Biodegradability Coconut oil
Keywords:	Plastic substitute Environmentally friendly Ecological solutions
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.37256 fse.6l20256l99
Type of Material:	Artigo de periódico
Access:	openAccess
Appears in Collections:	Artigo em periódico indexado (CNPAT)