Effect of Various Plasticizers in Different Concentrations on Physical, Thermal, Mechanical, and Structural Properties of Wheat Starch-Based Films

Abstract

Biocomposite materials are essential for environmental protection, as they have the ability of substituting synthetic plastic with natural materials. This work investigated how different plasticizers (Glycerol (G), Fructose (F), Sorbitol (S), and Urea (U)) affect the morphological, mechanical, thermal, and physical characteristics of films made of wheat starch at various concentrations (0%, 15%, 25%, and 35%). Plasticizers were added to improve the flexibility and homogeneity of the wheat starch-based bioplastic. Control film exhibited high tensile strength (38.7 MPa) with low elongation (1.9%). However, films plasticized with 35% sorbitol showed the highest elongation, which was 60.7% at break. At 35% of all plasticizers, fructose showed the highest tensile strength, with 7.6 MPa. The addition of different plasticizers shows improvement in water resistance; films plasticized with glycerol had the lowest water absorption at 35% fructose (187.4%) and also showed coherent surfaces. Glycerol, sorbitol, and urea films showed a higher mass loss compared to fructose films. Fructose showed the highest performance after the analysis of the results, with low water absorption, water content, and mass loss and with high mechanical performance at 35% of fructose. SEM images show that the addition of fructose and glycerol improves the surface homogenate, while sorbitol and urea have a less compact structure with large pores.

Optimization of some physical and mechanical properties of film developed from Tacca starch and plasticizer blends

“…This implies that both starch and plasticizers blends have a real or true effect on the film moisture content in the research study while the effects exerted by the process temperature and solely by chance or some random factors. Similar results were reported by [25] and [26] for glycerol and Sorbitol as plasticizers. Also, a high concentration of plasticizers favors the adsorption of water molecules due to their hydrophilic nature.…”

Bilayer Coating Composed of Starch and Methyl Cellulose-Nanoscale TiO2 for the Protection of Historic Paper from UV

“…Applying both the mono-(Figure 2a) and the bi-layer coatings (Figure 2b-d) does not affect the visual appearance of the samples' surface. Although a certain visual change caused by the application of a coating can be expected (e.g., darkening [58]), the coating materials (wheat starch and methyl cellulose) cause minimal changes as they appear transparent [59,60].…”

Pullulan-based films impregnated with silver nanoparticles from the Fusarium culmorum strain JTW1 for potential applications in the food industry and medicine

“…It is well known that the use of plasticizers reduces porosity and affects the smoothing of the film surface. Plasticizers are an important additive that improves flexibility, maintains the integrity of the films, and prevents the formation of cracks in the polymer matrix ( Garcia et al, 2000 ; Mohammed et al, 2023 ). Glycerol, a low-molecular-weight molecule, is a commonly used plasticizer that weakens the intermolecular interactions between the polysaccharide chains, resulting in a less-compact structure of the polymer with enhanced flexibility ( Tarique et al, 2021 ; Concórdio-Reis et al, 2022 ).…”