Studies on Chenopodium quinoa and Amaranthus paniculatas starch as biodegradable fillers in LDPE films

Abstract

Starches from newer food sources such as Amaranthus paniculatas and Chenopodium quinoa were studied for their possible role as biodegradable fillers in low density polyethylene (LDPE) films. Such starches have a unique feature of having an extremely small granule size ( < 1 micron), which helps in better dispersion in polymeric films. In countries, where polymers are expensive, these starches could be used as inexpensive fillers. The effect of incorporating 3-15% corn starch, Amaranthus paniculatas and Chenopodium quinoa starch on the mechanical properties of the LDPE films was evaluated. The torque for blending of starches and LDPE was in general lower than that for LDPE alone. Incorporation of all the three starches decreased the tensile strength. Maximum decrease was observed with corn starch, and minimum decrease with Chenopodium quinoa and Amaranthus paniculatas was in between. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.