Biodegradable foam tray based on starches isolated from different Peruvian species

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering

Background:

• Traditional packaging materials raise environmental concerns.
• Exploring sustainable alternatives from natural resources is crucial.
• Andean crops offer unique starch properties for material development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate starches from arracacha, oca, and sweet potato as raw materials for foam tray production.
• To characterize the physicochemical properties of these starches.
• To assess the performance of the resulting foam trays.

Main Methods:

• Isolation and characterization of starch from arracacha, oca, and sweet potato.
• Analysis of starch proximal composition, crystallinity, microstructure, and thermal properties.
• Fabrication and evaluation of foam trays, including appearance, expansion, density, water absorption, and tensile strength.

Main Results:

• Sweet potato starch exhibited the highest amylose content (42.65%) and lowest protein (0.30%).
• Oca starch granules were largest (10-30 μm). Sweet potato starch showed higher crystallinity and thermal transition temperatures.
• Foam trays had good appearance and low density but high water absorption (>50%). Sweet potato and oca starch trays demonstrated superior tensile strength (0.67 and 0.65 MPa).

Conclusions:

• Andean crop starches, particularly sweet potato and oca, are viable for producing foam trays.
• Starch properties (amylose content, crystallinity, granule size) influence foam tray performance.
• Further optimization is needed to reduce water absorption in these novel biodegradable trays.