A comprehensive review on the fabrication of cassava peel-derived polysaccharides and their biocomposites for sustainable food packaging applications

Abstract

In the past decades, agricultural waste-derived sustainable packaging has received considerable attention in the research and development field. The key motivating factor for agro-waste-derived packaging is to mitigate the problems caused by fossil-based packaging, which creates negative impacts on the environment. Nowadays, cassava peel, an agricultural waste material, has been extensively used as a natural source for the development of polysaccharides such as starch, cellulose and nanocellulose. These polysaccharides can be used as a matrix or reinforcement in the design and development of stringent food packaging materials. Moreover, cassava peel has become one of the most utilized agricultural wastes in waste management, with potential benefits in cassava processing industries. Thus, this review addresses the development of sustainable packaging materials from cassava peel-derived biopolymers. This review also discusses the methods used for the extraction of cellulose, nanocellulose and starch from cassava peel and some of the properties associated with these biopolymers. In addition, the thermal, mechanical and barrier properties of various cassava peel-based composite films and their application in food packaging are summarized. Finally, the safety aspects and future outlook of cassava peel-derived biopolymers for sustainable development are reviewed.