Effect of the Addition of Titanium Dioxide Modified (TiO ₂ ) by High‐Energy Ball Milling and Montmorillonite Clay on the Mechanical, Barrier and Structural Properties of Taro Starch ( Colocasia esculenta ) Films

Taro starch films were reinforced with inorganic compounds such as montmorillonite clay and titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) modified with mechanical grinding in proportions of 1:1 and 2:1, respectively. The results showed that the taro starch films with TiO 2 in a 2:1 ratio increased the percentage of moisture (26.11%) and solubility (33.30%) compared to their native counterpart (15.13% moisture; 29.84% solubility). The water vapor permeability (WVP) results were slightly lower for the 2:1 clay/TiO 2 ratio (2.1 × 10 −7 g/m·s·Pa) compared to native films (3.1 × 10 −7 g/m·s·Pa). It was observed that when using clay/TiO 2 1:1 and 2:1 in taro starch films, its stress at fracture increased and its percentage of elongation decreased, while Young's modulus was higher in the relation 1:1. These changes have been associated with the dispersion of the inorganic nanoparticles on the polymeric matrix, having a significant effect on the mechanical properties. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) showed clay delamination and a decrease in TiO 2 crystallinity associated with impact energy during mechanical grinding, while FTIR studies showed that there is an interaction between starch and clay. The results obtained show that taro starch films reinforced with TiO 2 nanoparticles and montmorillonite clays could be an alternative for developing biodegradable packaging of interest to the food industry.