Starch/pectin-biobased films: How initial dispersions could affect their performances

Bioplastics receive constantly increasing attention as interesting alternatives to fossil-derived plastics, due to their renewability and degradability. Among them, edible coatings and films have been focused by a growing amount of research. Starch-based films are promising candidates for future plastics because of starch convenient price and large availability, combined with suitable properties. Chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of such films could be enhanced by mixing starch with other additives and copolymers, which affect the characteristics of the film-forming dispersions. This work investigates how the behavior of different starch/pectin-based dispersions—in terms of stability and gelification—influences the quality of the resulting films. Characterization of dispersions by Turbiscan analysis, based on multiple light scattering—detects any destabilization phenomenon and its extent. The produced films are investigated from morphological and mechanical point of view by standard tests. Film quality improves as phase separation decreases and degree of gelification increases in film-forming dispersions.