“Obtención de bioplástico a partir del almidón del rizoma de achira verde (canna edulis) para producción de envases alimentarios biodegradales”

Abstract

The objective of this research consisted of obtaining a bioplastic from the starch of the green achira rhizome (canna edulis) to be used in the production of biodegradable food packaging. For this purpose, a 2k factorial design was applied, both in the starch extraction stage and in the formulation stage of the biodegradable polymer. Starch was extracted using the wet way through four treatments with four replicates each, using crushing times of 30 and 60 seconds and a liquefaction speed of 6800 and 18000 rpm. The physicochemical and microbiological analysis of the starch was carried out, based on NTE INEN 1456, to determine its quality level and capacity to form a polymer. The bioplastic was obtained by testing four formulations, where the composition of starch and glycerin was varied, keeping the proportions of distilled water, acetic acid and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) constant. The bioplastic was characterized and the best formulation was used to produce the food packaging and tested for biodegradability. The starch with the highest yield (8.57%) was T4, which showed excellent organoleptic characteristics, absence of microorganisms and high amylose and amylopectin content (58.38% and 41.62%), necessary for polymer formation. The bioplastic with the best mechanical strength (29.68% elongation) was F3, which showed good transparency, high mouldability, flexibility and firmness, making it suitable for food packaging. The biodegradability test determined that the bioplastic decomposes 63.68% after 28 days of exposure to soil. It is concluded that the bioplastic made from achira rhizome starch meets the requirements for biodegradable packaging according to EN 13432. It is recommended to use the whole achira plant in the production of bioplastic films.