The rapid increment of synthetic plastic wastes in our environment has triggered in production and development of new biomaterial for resolving problems such as pollution as well as weak mechanical properties. Pectin polysaccharides are recognized as a new potential biomaterial in developing bioplastic. The main purpose of this study is to develop and characterize citrus pectin bioplastic using deep eutectic solvents (DES) of choline chloride: acetamide (1:2), CC:Ac as a plasticizer. The potential of produced bioplastic (BP-CC:Ac) was studied through investigation of their physicochemical and mechanical properties which include pH, thickness, opacity, solubility, tensile strain, tensile stress and Young Modulus. A citrus pectin-based bioplastic without the plasticizer (CI) and with the conventional plasticizer of pure acetamide (C2) were prepared as controls. The produced BP-CCAc showed a higher value of thickness (0.2658 ± 0.0015mm), opacity (0.492 ± 0.02A), and solubility (23.26 ± 0.03%) than the control, CI (0.1963 ± 0.0032mm, 0.407 ± 0.01A, and 16.42 ± 0.01% respectively) and C2 (0.1833 ± 0.001mm, 0.447 ± 0.01A, and 17.88 ± 0.05% respectively). The high acidity of BP-CC:Ac (pH 3.21) provide a strong inhibition toward bacteria which is highly demanding for medical purposes. The tensile strain, tensile stress and Young Modulus of BP-CC:Ac were measured at 5.080 ± 0.04 %, 2.221 ± 0.08 MPa and 113.946 ± 0.08 MPa, respectively. It was found the BP-CCAc was more flexible and have smooth surface texture than both controls, CI and C2 which suitable for plastic wrapping. Other than being natural and biodegradable, the addition of CCAc DES had improved the physicochemical and mechanical properties of pectin based-bioplastic. In conclusion, the addition of CCAc DES has enhanced the properties of BP-CCAc and increased the potential of plastic as an ecofriendly and sustainable future material.

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