Sustainable starch-based films with added babassu oil: production and technological characterization

This study aimed to produce and characterize the technological properties of biodegradable films made from cassava starch incorporated with babassu oil and sorbitol as a plasticizer. The films were prepared using the casting technique and a 4×5 factorial experimental design, with the plasticizer and oil concentrations as independent variables. The films were characterized for thickness, solubility in water, saline solution, and acidic solution, water vapor permeability, thermal analysis, mechanical properties, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and biodegradability. The biodegradable films exhibited good mechanical properties (maximum tensile strength: 4.78 ± 2.75 MPa and percentage elongation: 183.13 ± 75.25%) and satisfactory barrier properties, indicating their potential for use as environmentally sustainable packaging. Thermal analyses revealed the presence of three stages of weight loss common to all films, while diffractograms revealed crystalline zones at 19.3 and 30º. The polysaccharide nature of the films was confirmed by FTIR spectra. The films demonstrated significant solubility, with values ranging from 85.53 ± 22.79% to 99.72 ± 8.69%, and rapid biodegradation, suggesting a viable substitute for non-biodegradable polymers, thereby mitigating improper disposal of such materials into the environment. The films incorporated with babassu oil and sorbitol showed good water vapor barrier properties and adequate mechanical resistance, especially when sorbitol was used as a plasticizer.