Synthesis and evaluation of physical properties of Agar biopolymer film coating-an alternative for food packaging industry

The standard packaging material requirement is increasing proportionately with the increase in demand and consumption of packaged food. Indeed, it is challenging to design a perfect packaging material that can fall in line with international standards. It is a humongous task when it comes to handling conventionally and commercially available materials such as crude oil derivative polymers, as far as their recycling and degradability are concerned. In the present investigation, efforts were made to design a biopolymer-based film coating for the food packaging industry with adequate physical and mechanical properties. They can be used as a substitute for the conventionally available options till date. There is no shortage of biopolymers available for their application in food industry and they are already being used for similar purposes. However, still, there are some disadvantages associated with these materials. The present work is related to the synthesis, preparation of Agar based biopolymer film coating on a paper substrate, and their characterization according to specific standards prescribed by certifying agencies. It includes the study of Agar coated biopolymer film's mechanical properties using nanoindentation technique, profilometry, and surface property such as hydrophobic nature of the coating and the gas barrier potential of the film as well. Apart from this, a new methodology (Image Processing Tools using MATLAB and Spectral Analysis) was used for studying the effect of moisture when these coatings were exposed to hot and moist environment.