Formulation optimization and characterization of biodegradable containers incorporated with orange peel powder and tamarind seed powder

A huge amount of fruits and vegetables is being produced and processed in India and therefore the waste is also generated in high quantities. These wastes are good sources of vitamins, enzymes, cellulose, and many other essential compounds. The non-utilization of these bio-wastes leads to economic loss and also environmental problems. Plastic is versatile and very convenient material to use as packaging material. Plastic is a non-biodegradable material which is not only hazardous to human health but also affecting environment. To overcome such problems, the study was conducted to utilize plant-based waste to develop biodegradable packaging containers. Among the various alternatives, plant-based waste like peels of orange along with wheat flour and tamarind seed kernel flour at varying levels were used to develop acceptable quality biodegradable packaging containers. The studies involved obtaining the optimized formulation by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for creating biodegradable containers with desired mechanical and chemical properties. The independent variables used were Orange Peel Powder (OPP), Wheat Flour (FL) and Tamarind Seed Powder (BA) as binding agent. The dependent variables were water activity and compression strength. The optimized formulation obtained from the RSM is 50.28% OPP, 35.71% FL, and 14.01% BA along with process parameters 131⁰C for 64 min. This optimized formulation produced biodegradable container with 12.63kgf compression strength and 0.21 water activity.