Preparation and Characterization of Biodegradable Polylactic Acid (PLA) Film for Food Packaging Application: A Review

Abstract

Biodegradable PLA which is produced by polymerization of lactic acid derived from the starch of plants is a good candidate for replacing the current petroleum-based polymers such as polystyrene (PS) or Polypropylene (PP) in food packaging application. These petroleum-based polymers do contribute to large-scale environmental pollution as it is a non-degradable polymer. Being classified as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) for the food contact applications, PLA film for food packaging application can be synthesized in lab-scale and mass production by using solvent casting and injection molding which are common for the thermoplastic fabrication with the fast production and low in cost. The characterization methods used for the PLA film analysis can be done by the Universal Tensile machine (UTS) in which the main characteristics of the polymer film compatibility and its performance with the combined materials have been discussed in comparison with those of pure polymer films.