Technological watch

The use of petroleum-based packaging and its disposal in the environment poses several environmental problems, driving research into the development of biopolymers as substitutes for conventional polymers. Therefore, this study used the by-product of potato industrialization as the main raw material, xanthan gum as a plasticizer, and natural oat fiber as reinforcement to develop a biodegradable foam through thermo-pressing. The morphology, mechanical properties, and biodegradability of the final product were investigated. The water absorption and solubility index were highest in the sample with 20% plasticizer and 20% fiber. The water activity was not affected by variations in additives. The samples with the highest concentration of additives had the highest mechanical tensile strength, but there was a limit to these levels for foam resistance. The most accentuated visual effect was the yellow color. It is believed that hydrolysis was the main foam degradation mechanism, which took between 14 and 20 days for total decomposition. The combination of a by-product from potato industrialization with xanthan gum and natural oat fiber made it possible to produce a promising substitute for synthetic polymers, providing an environmentally friendly solution for both the use of agro-industrial by-products and reducing the volume of petroleum-based packaging waste.