Production of Defragmentable Bioplastic using Starch Extracted from Annona Muricata (Soursoup) Seed Reinforced with Bentonite Nanoclay

Abstract Seeds of Annona Muricata, often called soursop or guyabano were used as a source of starch for the production of defragmentable bioplastic. The researchers used mixture of water and starch content of 10 and 20 grams respectively from Annona Muricata (soursop) seeds with various concentration (20%, 25%, 30%) of glycerol (plasticizer) and reinforced with three different concentrations (0%, 3%, 6%) of bentonite nanoclay (filler). The characterization of the bioplastic was carried out by determining the effect of variation of the ratio between the quantity of starch from soursop seeds, bentonite nanoclay, and glycerol. The starch-based defragmentable bioplastic was evaluated with its water retention, degradation, and mechanical properties. The result showed that the tensile strength improved significantly with the addition of bentonite nanoclay and the elongation at break with the addition of glycerol. Same way in water retention test, where the presence of the bentonite nanoclay increased the strength of the bioplastic with its water solubility. In soil burial test, a higher level of glycerol concentration increased the rate of the bioplastic degradation. By adding the bentonite nanoclay as a filler, the rate of bioplastic degradation decreased compared to the bioplastic without filler. In shelf-life test, adding glycerol as plasticizer improved the shelf life of bioplastics. A high concentration of glycerol served as an anti-fungal for bioplastics.