Characterization of extruded film based on thermoplastic potato flour

Potato flour is abundant and less expensive than starch, though its major component is starch. It would therefore seem to be an attractive and viable source of biomass for biodegradable thermoplastic products. This study prepared thermoplastic potato flour (TPF) and thermoplastic potato starch (TPS) films by extrusion and investigated their properties. A mixture of glycerol and triethyl citrate (25-35% of total weight) was chosen for the plasticizer. Properties of the TPF film, such as mechanical properties, surface hydrophilicity, surface energy, moisture sorption isotherm, and glass transition temperature (Tg), were characterized and compared with TPS film. The results showed that TPF film was comparable to TPS film in many properties. The mechanical properties of the TPF film, including tensile strength, elongation at break, and tensile modulus, were similar in magnitude to TPS film. In addition, TPF film showed lower Tg and surface hydrophilicity, but higher surface wetting capacity than TPS film. Components other than starch in potato flour were believed to have had a plasticization effect on TPF properties. Overall, potato flour demonstrated a comparable capacity for manufacturing thermoplastic film similar to the more expensive starch feedstock. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012