Major factors affecting the characteristics of starch based biopolymer films

Starch is the most important widely spread polysaccharide used for the synthesis of biopolymer film. Renewable source, abundance, cost effectiveness and excellent film making properties open wide variety of application fields in front of it including packaging sector. Starch based films are flexible and strong, but free hydroxyl groups in starch structure make the film hydrophilic. However, copolymers and fillers when used with starch, substitute its hydroxyl groups and introduce the hydrophobic character to the film. Besides, mechanical properties like tensile strength and elongation at break are improved. Moreover, starch composition, plasticizers and operating conditions also have significant effect on physico-chemical properties of starch based film. This review will provide an insight of the various factors and conditions, which influence the film structure and its characteristics.

Automated summary

Starch is a key polysaccharide used in biopolymer film synthesis due to its renewable source, abundance, cost effectiveness, and excellent film making properties. Starch-based films are flexible and strong, but can be made more hydrophobic by incorporating copolymers or fillers to improve mechanical properties such as tensile strength and elongation at break. Additionally, the composition of starch, plasticizers, and operating conditions also play a significant role in determining the physico-chemical properties of starch-based films.