Cellulose reinforced potato-tapioca starch films-preparation and characterization

The increasing demand for eco-friendly alternatives to conventional polymer-based food packaging materials has driven the development of biodegradable materials. Notably, films prepared from tapioca and potato starches have significant mechanical, water resistance, and thermal properties. However, their inherent brittleness, low durability, and poor barrier properties limit practical applications. In this study, potato-tapioca starch-oil-based films reinforced with cellulose derived from cotton linter were prepared and characterized. The incorporation of cotton linter cellulose (CLC) significantly enhanced the thermo-mechanical properties while reducing water solubility, moisture absorption, and CO2 permeability. The biopolymer film reinforced with 0.1 g CLC/g starch (S5) exhibited the lowest water solubility (7.01%), water vapor permeability (WVP) (4.19 × 10−5 g s−1 m−2 Pa−1), and the CO2 permeability (2.46 × 10−10 kg m−1s−1). The film reinforced with 0.08 g CLC/g starch (S4) exhibited improved mechanical strength (5.50 MPa) and Young’s modulus (17.77 MPa), along with the lowest moisture absorption (12.85%). The optical properties, functional groups, morphology, surface characteristics, and thermal stability of the films were analyzed using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle measurements, and thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), respectively. Overall, the cellulose-reinforced films exhibited superior mechanical strength, thermal stability, and barrier properties, indicating their strong potential for sustainable food packaging applications.