Structure and Thermal Properties of Rice Starch-based Film Blended with Mesocarp Cellulose Fiber

Mesocarp fiber is one of the wastes from palm oil mill process. It is a source of cellulose, which can be chemically treated to obtain mesocarp cellulose fiber. It can improve the properties of film and increase the value of palm oil. In this study, rice starch-based film blended with mesocarp cellulose fiber was prepared by casting method. The two-step process, the pretreatment and bleaching followed by an acid hydrolysis, provided the mesocarp cellulose fiber. The obtained rice starch-based films with 2%, 4%, 6% and 8% by weight of mesocarp cellulose fiber were characterized. It indicated that the fiber content in the composites was more than 8wt%, making the film tore easily and cannot peel the mold off. The chemical structure of rice starch-based film and its composites were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed the same pattern of spectra, indicating that the amount of fibers and the added chemicals cannot affect on the chemical structure of the developed film. The thermal stability was investigated by thermogravimetric/differential thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG). It revealed that the thermal stability shifted towards higher temperatures with increasing amount of fiber Rice starch-based film containing 8% by weight of mesocarp cellulose fiber provided the highest thermal stability. Moreover, cellulose fiber can reduce the water absorption properties. The lowest water absorption of the composites was obtained when the films with 8% by weight of mesocarp cellulose fiber were used. This is a result of a reduction of the moisture sensitivity of starch. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.