Reinforcement of banana flour biocomposite film with beeswax and montmorillonite and effects on water barrier and physical properties

Abstract

SummaryUnripe banana flour (BF) has potential as an edible film but its hydrophilic nature requires amendment to provide a better water barrier. Beeswax (BW) and montmorillonite Na+ (MMT) are typically applied as reinforcing additives to obtain a water barrier, water solubility and mechanical strength in a biopolymer. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of BW, MMT and their combination on banana biocomposite film properties. The results suggested that the addition of BW enhanced the film transparency and water barrier properties. However, the incorporation of MMT increased the water resistance as expressed through low water solubility. Nonetheless, the addition of BW and BW‐MMT reduced the mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation at break) of BF‐BW and BF‐BW‐MMT films. Nonetheless, the added MMT did not change the mechanical properties of the BF film due to the poor dispersion quality of MMT as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy.