Desenvolvimento de filmes biodegradáveis à base de quitosana e amidos de fontes não tradicionais

Abstract

Global synthetic polymer production exceeds 440 million tons per year, reflecting the vast industrial scale of this activity and its environmental implications. Despite its economic importance, this reality places increasing pressure on the development of sustainable alternatives. In this context, packaging materials produced from renewable and biodegradable sources emerge as promising solutions, though their large-scale adoption still faces significant technical and economic barriers. It is worth highlighting that the application of edible films and coatings for food preservation is a historic practice, demonstrating humanity’s long-standing quest for natural preservation strategies, although the understanding of the underlying mechanisms has only recently advanced. Moreover, consumer safety and compliance with stringent international standards are essential requirements for the market viability of these materials. Thus, the incorporation of these biopolymers represents not only a technological innovation but also an ethical and environmental commitment in the face of the current global plastic waste crisis. The aim was to extract starches from non-traditional sources to develop biodegradable films using the casting technique from filmogenic solutions. The experimental design was fully randomized, with data subjected to analysis of variance (F-test) and means compared by Tukey’s test at a 5% significance level. The results demonstrated the potential of non-traditional starches for producing biodegradable films applicable to food packaging. Additionally, these films exhibited suitable physicochemical and functional properties for use as sustainable coatings and packaging. This work significantly contributes to the dissemination and valorization of alternative sources, proposing a promising solution for the development of environmentally responsible packaging aligned with current sustainability and innovation demands in the food industry.