1. Introduction
Edible films from natural ingredients like cassava peels, alginate, and banana peels offer a promising alternative to conventional plastics in food packaging. The present work explores the development of an edible film for packaging; analyzes the impact of varying concentrations of each component on film properties with regard to mechanical strength, water absorption, biodegradability, and antibacterial properties; and optimizes the composition.
2. Methodology
Cassava peel starch and banana peel paste are prepared by a worked-out procedure. Cassava peel paste is mixed with sodium alginate and heated to 80°C. Banana peel paste, glycerol, and essential oil are added and stirred. The mixture in a petri dish is dried in a hot-air oven at 45°C for 48 hours. Biodegradability is assessed using the soil burial method. Solubility is determined by immersing the film in water and measuring weight loss. Mechanical properties are evaluated using a UTM. FTIR spectroscopy is used to identify functional groups in the edible films. Antibacterial tests are conducted using the Kirby Bauer method. The Box–Behnken factorial design is used to optimize the prepared edible films with respect to mechanical properties and solubility.
3. Results and Discussion
It was observed that the solubility of films increased with higher proportions of alginate and glycerol. Samples buried in soil showed rapid degradation within 1-2 days, which was an added advantage of the prepared films. From analysis of variance studies, the desirable combinations of various inputs for high solubility and good mechanical properties were identified. The optimum composition of the sample was determined as being 22g cassava peel starch, 2g sodium alginate, and 3ml glycerol. The computed film properties were also validated experimentally.
4. Conclusions
Successful development of an edible film for packaging was accomplished and we characterized the various mechanical properties, the solubility of edible films, and the influence each ingredient exerted on these properties.
