Biodegradable films produced with ozone-modified cassava starch reinforced with nanocellulose

Abstract

Due to the increase in market demands for conscious consumption, a search for sustainable packaging in industries has been observed. These kinds of packages can be produced from native starches; among them, cassava starch is promising because of its high availability and relatively low price, as well as for being an environmentally renewable source. Moreover, starch modification is used to enhance the characteristics of its native form, which is limited by nature. Studies using ozone technology to modify starches extracted from different sources have shown effectiveness in changing their mechanical and thermal properties, due to its strong oxidizing power. Therefore, they might produce films with improved characteristics. Still, the addition of nanocomposites to plastic films promotes a potential to improve characteristics related to traction, permeability, and structure. However, the use of these ozone-modified, nanocomposites combined starches for the development of biodegradable films has not been studied yet. Thus, this project intends to study the production and characterization of biodegradable films, produced from ozone modified cassava starch combined with cellulose nanocomposites, with potential use as packaging in the food industry. This study is part of the post-doctoral research project FAPESP 2017 / 05307-8 entitled "Production and characterization of biodegradable films produced from ozone-modified cassava starch combined with nanocomposites".