Utilization of agricultural waste as an alternative for packaging films

Abstract

Onion and garlic are one of the most consumable foods in the world. These foods generate a vast amount of waste from their peels, and are thrown out in the land. In some studies, it was found that peels of this food contain flavonoids that have antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibacterial, UV resistant, etc., properties. These properties of the peels can be used as an alternative to plastic which is environmentally friendly and sustainable, called flexible bio-composite film. Here in the study, the garlic and onion peels (GP and OP resp.) were acylated to obtain acylated garlic and onion peel particles (AGPP and AOPP). AGPP and AOPP were used with Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) as a matrix to develop a novel flexible bio-composite film. The thickness of the films increased with increase in loading concentration. The tensile strength and tensile modulus of composite films improved from 25.6 MPa for Blank PLA to 38.2 and 39.8 MPa respectively for AGPP and AOPP respectively at 10 % loading. The films are biocompatible and show antimicrobial activity of about 99.95 % and 99.65 %. Scanning electron microscopy exhibited proper dispersion of AGPP and AOPP in PLA matrix. FTIR analysis confirmed acylation of GP and OP. Results suggest the film can be used as a substitute for petrochemical-based packaging films.