Abstract:
Production of non-biodegradable plastic packaging is raising global concerns about
environmental pollution. The main purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate an
agricultural by-product-based renewable packaging material that can replace plastic packaging.
The study investigated how different types of lime waste and Aloe vera gel influenced the
properties of cassava starch-based edible films. Raw materials used in this study included
cassava starch (extracted from fresh cassava tubers), dried lime waste flour (obtained from the
valorisation of kitchen waste), Aloe vera gel (extracted from fresh leaves) and food-grade
glycerol. Six different edible films were developed using three types of 1% (w/v) lime waste
flour (dried lime peel (P1), dried lime pulp (P2) and a mixture of dried peel and pulp (P3)), with
10% (v/v) Aloe vera gel (A1) and without Aloe vera gel (A0). Cassava starch (3% w/v) and
glycerol (1% w/v) were kept constant across all six treatments. Distilled water was then
incorporated, and the mixture was homogenised at 90°C for 30 minutes. Thereafter, the solution
was left to cool, and films were produced via the casting method. The resulting packaging
materials were analyzed to investigate their properties. P1A0 (lime peel-based film without Aloe
vera) showed the highest significant polyphenol migration of 94.88 mg GAE/kg of food simulant
(p<0. 0001), exhibited the lowest water solubility (p=0.035), and displayed a smooth, pale-
yellow microscopic image. Similar, non-significant results were observed for thickness and
moisture content (p>0. 05) across all films and XRD results showed a specific peak at 29.5°, and
FTIR showed the presence of hydrogen, C-H, C=N and C=C bonds. In conclusion, the P1A0
edible film delivers promising results for producing an edible film that can function as a food
packaging material, while replacing synthetic plastic packaging and promoting a sustainable,
eco-friendly solution.
