Biosourced disposable trays made of brewer's spent grain and potato starch

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2019

Authors

Ana M. Ferreira (Author) FEUP; Jorge Martins (Author) FEUP; Luísa H. Carvalho (Author) FEUP; Fernão D. Magalhães (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Polymers

Vol. 11 No. 5 Article number 923

Pages: 1-14

Publisher: MDPI

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 7 Citations

Scopus - 8 Citations

Associated Projects

LEPABE-2-ECO-INNOVATION - LEPABE-2-ECO-INNOVATION

LEPABE - Projeto Estratégico do LEPABE - Laboratório de Engenharia de Processos, Ambiente, Biotecnologia e Energia

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00Q-PNE

DOI: 10.3390/polym11050923

Abstract (EN): Single-use plastic items made of non-biodegradable and fossil-based materials have been identified as a major environmental problem in modern society. Food packaging materials represent an important fraction of these, and replacement with biosourced, sustainable and low-cost alternatives, is a key priority. In the present work, and for the first time, trays suitable for some food packaging applications were produced by the hot-pressing of brewer's spent grains (BSG, a low added-value byproduct of the beer industry), bound with potato starch. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) trays were used as reference, since this material has been widely used in food packaging trays. The results demonstrated that all trays produced with varying proportions of BSG and potato starch have appropriate flexural strength, with values ranging between 1.51 +/- 0.32 MPa, for 80% BSG content, and 2.62 +/- 0.46 MPa, for 40% BSG content, which is higher than for EPS, 0.64 +/- 0.50 MPa. Regardless of BSG content, flexural strength and modulus decreased significantly after contact with water, due to starch plasticization, attaining values below EPS. Trays produced with 60% BSG, and also with the addition of chitosan and glyoxal presented the highest flexural strength, both before and after contact with water, 3.75 +/- 0.52 MPa and 0.44 +/- 0.11 MPa, respectively. The latter is reasonably close to the reference value obtained for EPS.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 14