Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

College of Arts and Sciences

AY 2019-2020

The Efficiency of Corn Starch and Banana Peels as Bioplastics

Qualitative Academic Paper
ENGLISH 5: Purposive Communication

Submitted by:
ABROGUEÑA Alexa (Results and Discussion)
AUXTERO Derrick Kean A. (Abstract and Conclusion)
BELIDA Jerlie (Introduction & Research Questions)
BONANI Angelyne I. (RRL & Methods)
UY Randee Allanah Belle (Results and Discussion)

ENGL 5-EC

Submitted to:
Ms. Nancy P. Cocamas

14 October 2019

AUXTERO Derrick Kean A.

 The Efficiency of Corn Starch and Banana
Peels as Bioplastics
Alexa Abroguena, Derrick Kean A. Auxtero, Jerlie Belida, Angelyne I. Bonani, Randee Uy

ABSTRACT
Plastics are one of the major pollutants in our environment. This study takes a look at two
biodegradable materials, corn starch and banana peels, as an alternative source for the production
of bioplastics.The bioplastics produced from both corn starch and banana peels were found to be
comparable to those commercially produced from fossil fuels. In terms of tensile strength, water
solubility and durability, corn starch was discovered to be more efficient compared to banana
peels. Several studies were also taken into account when determining the differences between the
key characteristics of corn starch and banana peels.
Keywords: Bioplastics, Corn Starch, Banana Peels, Biodegradable polymers

IV. Conclusion

Numerous studies have concluded the
effective use of both corn starch and banana
starch as bioplastics. This is mainly due to the
various characteristics that both these
materials share with commercial plastics that
come from fossil fuels. Corn starch and
banana peel extract both contain long chains
of carbon molecules making them a suitable
source of bioplastic. Additionally, they are
free of chemicals and are easily compostable
making them incredibly eco-friendly. Corn
starch and banana starch are also great for
large scale industrial production because of
their abundance as a common household or
industrial waste.
Between these two biodegradable
materials, corn starch is objectively more
efficient compared to banana starch in terms
of tensile strength, durability and water
solubility. This claim is supported by several
studies which showed sufficient data
confirming the superiority of corn starch
among the aforementioned characteristics.
Banana starch performs very poorly
in terms of texture quality and water
solubility. Bioplastics made purely from
banana peels resulted to grainy and rough
products. Its inferior water solubility may be
attributed to the looseness of its particles
which cause it to detach and break apart.
References
Achinas, S., Krooneman, J., & Euverink, G.
J.
W. (2019). Enhanced Biogas
Production from the Anaerobic
Batch Treatment of Banana Peels.
Engineering. doi:
10.1016/j.eng.2018.11.036
Chodijah, S., Husaini, A., Zaman, M., &
Hilwatulisan. (2019). Extraction of
Pectin from Banana Peels (Musa
Paradiasica Fomatypica) for
Biodegradable Plastic Films. Journal
 of Physics: Conference Series, 1167,
012061. doi: 10.1088/1742-
6596/1167/1/012061
Marichelvam, Jawaid, & Asim. (2019). Corn
and Rice Starch-Based Bio-Plastics
as Alternative Packaging Materials.
Fibers, 7(4), 32. doi:
10.3390/fib7040032
Shamsuddin, I. M. (2017). Bioplastics as
Better Alternative to Petroplastics
and Their Role in National
Sustainability: A Review. Advances
in Bioscience and Bioengineering,
5(4), 63. doi:
10.11648/j.abb.20170504.13
Song, Y., & Zheng, Q. (2008). Improved
tensile strength of glycerol-
plasticized gluten bioplastic
containing hydrophobic liquids.
Bioresource Technology, 99(16),
BELIDA Jerlie
I. Introduction
The use of plastics has increased
significantly in the recent past. The world is
already full of plastics. Practically, everything
that people see and use in their daily lives is
7665–7671. doi:
10.1016/j.biortech.2008.01.075
BFEP. Banana fiber extracting project. 2009.
http://farmnest.com/forum/consultan
cy/best-out-of-agro-waste-(banana-
fiber-extractor/
BCMCL. Bananas Could Make Cars Leaner,
Greene. 2011.
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/
03/ bananas-could-make-cars-
leanergreener/
BI. Bioplastic innovation, 2011. Micromidas
is using carefully constructed
populations of bacteria to convert
organic waste into biodegradable
plastics. http://bioplastic-
innovation.com/2011/07/29/micromi
das-is-using-carefully-constructed-
populations-of-bacteriato-convert-
organic-waste-into-bio-degradable-
plastics.`
entirely or partly plastic materials. Plastics are
widely used for various applications because
they are inexpensive, readily available, durable
and versatile. Even though plastics have
undeniable positive effects on people’s lives
and industry, it still has several disadvantages.
It has toxic effects and cannot be destroyed
quickly and naturally by destructive microbes
in the soil. It also contributes to the
accumulation of waste, pollution and
environmental damage. Because of this, many
scientists invented biodegradable polymers as
a substitute for petrochemical based polymers
(Maulida, Siagian & Tarigan, 2016). This
biodegradable polymers or bioplastics are more
robust and flexible and can mimic the
mechanical strength of the conventional
plastic. Its uniqueness is that it does not
disintegrate into micro plastic that could harm
the environment. It also dissolves in water
releasing toxic chemicals. The production of
bioplastics is simple and they are widely used
for packaging applications.
Starch is one of the major sources in the
development of bioplastic. Approximately
50% of the bioplastics used commercially are
prepared from starch (Marichelvam Jawaid &
Asim, 2019). Starch is often used in the form of
biodegradable films in a variety of applications
as they are renewable, abundant and
inexpensive materials. Bananas and corns are
just some of the many raw materials that can be
used to produce starch-based bioplastics for
they are both particularly high in starch. In the
dry flesh and peel of a green banana, 69.5% and
22.6% are their starch content respectively. For
one cup of corn kernels, it contains 18.2% of
starch and a whole maize grain has starch
content between 68 and 74%.
Utilization of the banana peel and corn
for the production of starch based bioplastic
can help reduce the environmental damages
that are caused by conventional plastics. The
goal of this study is to find out the efficacy of
banana peel and corn starch as bioplastics.
Also, the researchers seek to find out whether
corn starch is more efficient as a bioplastic than
banana peel starch.
Research Questions
This study aims to find out the efficacy
of bioplastics made from banana peel starch
and corn starch.
Specifically, this study sought answers
to the following questions:
1.What characterize corn starch and
banana peel starch as bioplastics?
2. What are the manifestations of
production efficacy of both the corn
starch and banana peel starch?
3. What makes corn starch more
efficient than banana starch in terms
of tensil strength, durability and
water solubility?
BONANI Angelyne I.
Review of Related Literature
Much attention has been focused on
research to replace petroleum-based
commodity plastics with biodegradable
materials offering competitive mechanical
properties (Adhikari et al., 2016). Common
types of bioplastics that decompose are mostly
made of starch, sometimes in combination with
vegetable oil or animal fat to substitute for the
polymers made from petroleum (Song,
Murphy, Narayan & Davies, 2009). Starch is
one of the major sources in the development of
bioplastic. Starch consists of a long chain of
two glucose units joined together, namely
branched polymerized amylopectin and
amylose, which gives its granular structure.
According to Prasad (2014), the amylose
content is responsible for the plastic formation
in starch. Moreover, starch can behave like a
thermoplastic in the presence of plasticizer,
with application of heat and mechanical
treatment (Ahmmad et. al., 2014).
One of the most common waste forms
of starch is the banana peels. Banana peels
consists of high sources of starch, which is
about 18.5% (Astuiti & Erprihana, 2014). As
banana peels ripen, the glucose level increases.
However, if the peels are too ripe, the starch
will be converted into glucose while the least
ripened peels, becomes too firm but still high
in starch molecules (Soltani et. al., 2010).
Therefore, banana peels can be suggested as a
suitable source for the manufacturing of
bioplastics. Furthermore, another study
conducted by Khanna & Kanoujiya (2019),
proved that the starch in the
banana peel could be used in the production of
biodegradable plastic. In the study, they used
soil as the primary determinant of the
degradation of banana peels as bioplastics. The
physical parameters of soil were tested by
growing moong seeds in the soil containing the
bioplastic and synthetic plastic and compared it
with the natural soil. Based on all the testing
that was carried out, the biodegradable plastic
from banana peels was found to be the best and
eco friendly compared with synthetic plastic.
Hence, it can be used in the industry for various
applications such as molding and packaging.
Meanwhile, corn is a well-known
source for starch and has become one of
human’s main sources of food (Novianti et. al.,
2019). In fact, studies on using corn as potential
biopolymer for bioplastics have been widely
explored. In a study conducted by Asim et. al.,
(2019), they have proven that corn-based
thermoplastic starch can be an alternative
packaging material. In addition, they found out
that glycerol, citric acid, and gelatin are best
plasticizers in preparing the thermoplastic
starch (TPS) film of the corn. Furthermore,
numerous studies also showed the durability or
the tensile strength of corn as bioplastics.
Muscat et. al., (2019), studied the performance
of low amylose and high amylose starches to
form films. Starch films were plasticized using
glycerol and xylitol. They have found out that
an increase in the concentration of plasticizers
would lead to an increase in the tensile strength.
Moreover, they also concluded that tensile
strength is observed in films with high amylose
content. Corn starch has been found to have a
high amylose content (Novianti, 2019). Thus, it
would be a good alternative for packaging
materials.
Methods
To attain the objectives of this study,
production of bioplastics were done in
laboratory scale. Commercially available
banana (Musa acuminata) and corn starch were
used in the study. The following procedures
were done to create bioplastics out from the
two organic samples.
Preparation of Banana Skins
Step 1: Banana peels are removed
using stainless steel knife and
converted into small pieces. Then peels
are dip in sodium metabisulphite
(0.2M) solution for 45 minutes. It is
used as antioxidant and preservative.
 This would increase the
biodegradation period of plastic.
Step 2: Banana peels are boiled in
distilled water for about 30 minutes.
Step 3: The water is decanted from
the beaker and the peels are now left
to dry on filter paper for about 30
minutes
Step 4: After the peels are dried, they
are placed in a beaker and using a
hand blender, the peels are pureed
until a uniform paste is formed.

Production of Plastic
Step 1: 25gm of banana paste is
placed in a beaker
Step 2: 3ml of (0.5 N) HCl is added
to this mixture and stirred using glass
rod. Step 3: 2ml Plasticizer (Glycerol)
is added and stirred.
Step 4: 0.5 N NaOH is added
according to pH desired, after a desired
residence time.
Step 5: The mixture is spread on a
ceramic tile and this is put in the oven Final bioplastic film after drying.
at 1200 C and is baked.
Corn Starch Extraction
Step 6: The tile is allowed to cool and The following steps detail extracting
the film is scraped off the surface the starch from corn by the manual method.
First, 100 g corn was washed and boiled with
water for an hour. More corn was ground in a
mortar with 100 mL purified water. The
mixture was filtered and the remaining solid
mass was put into the mortar. Repeat the
procedure five times to obtain more starch. The
blend was allowed to settle in the beaker for 5
min. Then, 100 mL of purified water was added
and was agitated softly. The water was
removed after repeating the above process 3–4
times and the starch, white in color, was
obtained, as shown in Figure 1. About 40 g of
starch was obtained from 100 g of corn.

Figure 1. Extracted starch.

Preparation of Bioplastics Film

In corn starch-based TPS, glycerol is used

as plasticizer, due to its better mechanical
properties and good water solubility, ranging from
18 to 25%, though it can increase up to 36% . It was
shown that the glycerol concentration would not
affect the glass transition temperatures. TPS film
was prepared according to the following procedure:
starch, glycerol, gelatin, and citric acid were added
to 100 mL distilled water in various ratios. The
mixture was stirred at a rate of 180 rpm for 10 min.
Then the mixture was heated on a hot plate at 100
°C, and manual stirring was done for 70 min,
continuously. It was then poured onto a Teflon-
coated glass plate and spread uniformly. It took 3–
4 days for the mixture to dry out and the cast film ABROGUEÑA Alex
was removed.

II. Results & Discussion

Properties of Corn Starch

Corn starch has been widely used for
the creation of bioplastics. The type of
bioplastic produced using corn starch is cold
polylactic acid (PLA) plastics. PLA plastics are
not just biodegradable, but are biocompostable.
The way corn starch bioplastics are made is that
corn kernels are submerged in sulfur dioxide
and hot water in order to break it down to
starch, proteins and fiber. It is then grounded to
separate the corn oil from the starch, making it
less liquid and more paste-like. The extracted
starch is composed of long chains of carbon
molecules, similar to the carbon chains in
plastic from fossil fuels (Cho, 2017), thus
making bioplastics made from corn starch is as
durable as petroleum-based plastics. What
makes corn starch a suitable source for
bioplastic is that, firstly, it is a renewable
source. Second, corn starch bioplastics are
durable at the same time can be easily disposed
as they are compostable. Corn starch
bioplastics have no mixed toxic chemicals in
making them, thus making them eco-friendly
and safe for food storage (Greenworld, n.d.).
The table below, taken from Marichelvam,
Jawaid and Asim’s study on corn and rice
starch-absed bioplastics (2019), shows the
properties of corn starch.
Table 1. Corn Starch Properties from Corn and Rice
Starch-Based Bio-Plastics as Alternative Packaging
Materials.
Characterization of Corn Starch-Based
Bioplastic
1. Tensile Strength
Tensile strength is defined as the
maximum load an object can take without it
breaking or stretching (Encyclopaedia
Britannica, n.d.). The tensile strength of the
bioplastics differs due to composition and
concentration. The tensile strength of the
bioplastics can be tested using a tensiometer.
Different studies showed that the average
tensile strength of corn starch-based bioplastics
amount to about 2-11 MPa, varying due to the
amount of corn starch used. Adding additional
materials that help in durability, for example
plasticizers, affect the tensile strength of the
bioplastics. The following tables were taken
from two different studies, namely “Corn and
Rice Starch-Based Bio-Plastics as Alternative
Packaging Materials” (2019) and “Synthesis
and Testing of Corn Starch Based
Biodegradable Plastic and Composite” (2017).
Table 2. Corn Starch Bioplastic Tensile Strength from
Corn and Rice Starch-Based Bio-Plastics as Alternative
Packaging Materials.
Table 3. Corn Starch Bioplastic Tensile Strength from
Synthesis and Testing of Corn Starch Based
Biodegradable Plastic and Composite.
2. Water Solubility
Starch-based bioplastics are more
soluble in water compared to petroleum-based
plastics, which means that bioplastics are easily
broken down or dissolved with use of water. A
high concentration of starch composition
would result in an increase of water solubility
of the bioplastic. The water solubility of a
bioplastic is correlated to the absorption
percentage of that material. Starches are
hydrophilic materials, thus the reason of it
absorbing water at a high percentage. The
tables below, taken from 2 varying studies
(“Corn and Rice Starch-Based Bio-Plastics as
Alternative Packaging Materials” (2019) and
“Biodegradation Studies of Polyvinyl
Alcohol/Corn Starch Blend Films in Solid and
Solution Media” (2011)), show the water
solubility percentage of bioplastics made from
corn starch. It is to be noted that the varying
water solubility percentages are due to the
different ratio of the components and materials
used.
Table 4. Corn Starch Bioplastic Water Solubility from
Corn and Rice Starch-Based Bio-Plastics as Alternative
Packaging Materials.
Table 5. Corn Starch Bioplastic Water Solubility from
Biodegradation Studies of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Corn
Starch Blend Films in Solid and Solution Media
UY Randee Allanah Belle
II. Results & Discussion
Banana Peel Starch
Biomass is organic, plant or animal
based source of material that can be converted
into different forms of bioplastic materials,
biofuel and bioenergy using different
biotechnological procedures. Numerous
studies show the comparison of nano-cellulose
sized particles for the multiple use in the
industry. Current results can conclude that it is
possible to prepare banana peel lingo-
cellulosed based nanoparticle which means that
banana peel is a good source of biomass for the
production of bioplastic. The large quantity of
banana has the potential of being used
industrially and, thereby, to improve banana
economics and eliminate the large
environmental problems presented by banana
waste.
Food grade bioplastic has become a
popular research topic these days. Banana peel
starch bioplastic starts off with the drying of the
banana peel. Three hours in the oven that is
kept at 170 degrees Celsius is enough to make
the banana peel dry and ready for the next step.
It is then crushed into fine particles. Once it is
fine enough, water and adhesive will be added
into it. The mixture is then heated until
everything is mixed together. After which, the
substance is placed in a mold and will be sun
dried.
 However, further studies are still
required in order to develop bioplastic that has
comparable mechanical and water barrier
properties with synthetic plastic. Bioplastics
made only from banana peel starch resulted to
a very grainy and rough texture which would
not really do good in the industry since people
are looking for the typical smooth and clear
plastic. The water solubility as well was not as

good because the water caused the loose

particles to detach from the bioplastic, breaking
apart the material. But despite the texture and
poor water solubility, if the bioplastic is kept
dry, its tensile strength is comparable to the
synthetic plastic we use.
To improve mechanical and water
barrier properties of banana peel starch
bioplastic, bacterial cellulose is added to create
hybrid filler with banana pseudostem fibre in
glycerol laminated corn starch matrix. The
filler banana pseudostem fibre and bacterial
cellulose were first dispersed in a mixture of
glycerol and distilled water, starch was added
and the mixture was heated until gelatinization
occurred. The mixture was then casted and
dried in an oven.