Fully Sustainable Starch‐Based Food Packaging Incorporated With Tannic Acid—A Natural Polyphenol

ABSTRACT The present article is centred on developing fully sustainable packaging using simple easily available substances, and the fabrication methodology can be upscaled to the micro‐industry level. The study employs potato starch as the biodegradable polymer, considering its abundance and ease of extraction from agricultural waste. Film fabrication was accomplished by using glycerol as a plasticiser, and via thermal processing to enhance gelatinisation as well as to reduce time in preparing stock solutions. Furthermore, tannic acid, a natural polyphenol, was incorporated in the film to investigate its possible role in reinforcement of the mechanical characteristics and rendering antimicrobial properties. Additionally, the influence of tannic acid on the biodegradability of the films was investigated. Furthermore, the surface morphology, thermal characteristics, load‐bearing ability, and packaging potential of the biodegradable film have been studied. The highest load‐bearing capacity was found to be for the specimen containing 1.5 wt.% tannic acid, exhibiting tensile strength of 33 kg/cm 2 . Antimicrobial characteristics evaluated in terms of the diameter of the zone of inhibition have been found to be higher for film incorporated with optimal loading of tannic acid, suggesting its contribution as food packaging in preserving the organic items from bacterial decay. Biodegradability of the prepared films was additionally tested using a soil burial test, where all film specimens has been found to display significant physical damage.