Production of Thermoplastic Starch-Aloe vera Gel Film with High Tensile Strength and Improved Water Solubility

Biodegradable film packaging made from thermoplastic starch (TPS) has low mechanical performance and high water solubility, which is incomparable with synthetic films. In this work, Aloe vera (AV) gel and plasticized soluble potato starch were utilised to improve the mechanical stability and water solubility of TPS. Dried starch was mixed with glycerol and different AV gel concentrations (0% to 50%). The TPS + 50% AV gel (30 g TPS + 15 g AV gel) showed the best improvement compared to TPS alone. When compared to similar TPS films with AV gel added, this film is stronger and dissolves better in water. Mechanical qualities improved the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the TPS film, with 1.03 MPa to 9.14 MPa and 51.92 MPa to 769.00 MPa, respectively. This was supported by the improvement of TPS water solubility from 57.44% to 46.6% and also by the increase in decomposition temperature of the TPS. This promises better heat resistance. The crystallinity percentage increase to 24.26% suggested that the formation of hydrogen bonding between TPS and AV gel enhanced crosslinking in the polymeric structure. By adding AV gel, the TPS polymeric structure is improved and can be used as a biodegradable food-packaging film.

Automated summary

This study investigates the use of Aloe vera gel and soluble potato starch to improve the mechanical stability and water solubility of thermoplastic starch. The results show that the addition of Aloe vera gel enhances the mechanical properties, water solubility, and heat resistance of TPS films, making them suitable for biodegradable food packaging applications.