DISPOSABLE BIODEGRADABLE FOOD CONTAINER FROM COIR

Abstract

In recent times, due to the negative environmental impacts of synthetic plastics, the development of biodegradable packagingfor both industrial and commercial applications is very essential. Materials used in this study included: Coir (coconut fiber, 14%) combined with modified starch 1403 (7%) and glycerol (2%). Food containerswere created by pressing materials to form desired shapeand then coated with paraffin to enhance their hardness and water resistance. The obtained food containers hada hardness of 53.6852 ± 0.784 N, and the water permeability rate of the containerswhen used for storing food at 70oC after 3 hourswas 12.8169 ± 0.53372% (w/w). The packagingwas not affected by acidic agents so itcan be applied to foods with low pH values. The sensory evaluation results showed that there was no difference in the taste of drinking water containing in research packaging and PET packaging. Packaging was decomposed into small pieces after 25 days of landfill. In conclusion, coir packaging holds great potential for the formulation of biodegradable containers with the physical properties suitable for food applications in direct contact.