PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIODEGRADABLE PACKAGING FILM USING GROUNDNUT PROTEIN ISOLATE

In recent years, packaging films produced from biopolymers have drawn extreme attention due to the pollution created by commercially available petroleum based plastics. Plastics which are produced from renewable resources are emerging as sustainable solutions to the environmental problems. Protein, being a natural polymer can be used in formulating an alternative to petroleum based plastic. This paper emphasises on fabrication, characterization and testing of biodegradable film using de-oiled cake isolated proteins. Protein, which is extracted from groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) de-oiled cake, is used for bioplastics preparations. The effect of protein concentrations on films is studied by using functional and structural properties. All the performance characteristics were compared with commercially available packaging LDPE film as a standard. FTIR spectra analysis confirmed that there was strong interaction between biopolymers in the film. Results of FEG-SEM show that all three polymers having good compatibility and disperse homogeneously without any phase separation. Biodegradation studies of the film were also conducted in laboratory using soil medium in presence of Bacillus megaterium. From the results we can conclude that the biodegradable films from protein, chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol have great potential for packaging applications and a promising alternative for conventional plastics.