Mechanical, structural, and biodegradability properties of bioplastics from tamarind seed starch

The global problem of synthetic plastic waste, due to its non-biodegradability and accumulation in the environment, has fragmented into microplastics in the natural environment. Toward this challenge, our study explores the synthesis of bioplastics from tamarind seed starch as a sustainable alternative due to its abundant availability, biodegradability and biocompatibility by its oligosaccharide content. Here, we develop the potential of bioplastic materials via solvent casting and test their biodegradability by utilizing efficient decomposition mechanisms in soil and seawater. The results show a significant degradation rate of 73.33 % in soil and 80 % in seawater after 9 days and 18 h, respectively. It was found that the bioplastics with a lower crystallinity index tends to degrade more quickly due to irregular and less dense structure, which allows water and microorganisms to penetrate the material easily. The results that demonstrated by Internet of Things as the real-time observation system, the additional of (13 g) Tamarin seeds starch show the tensile strength around of 0.21 MPa, Young's modulus of 105 MPa, and strain up to 82.40 % exhibited promising mechanical properties for food packaging. Future research should focus on improving mechanical properties and long-term stability, and on enabling energy-efficient large-scale production for industrial applications.