Plant fibre-reinforced oilseed meal based biocomposites and biodegradable plates: development and performance analysis

Abstract

The study addressed the challenge of developing minimally processed, flexible, and durable biodegradable plates using oilseed meals and plant fibres, a combination often limited by weak fibre–matrix bonding. Mustard, flaxseed, and soybean oilseed meals were blended with banana pseudostem, coconut coir, and sugarcane bagasse fibres, while emulsifiers, binders, cross-linkers, and plasticizers were incorporated to enhance compatibility. Biocomposites were fabricated using the solvent-casting method, and the plates were produced through hot compression moulding at 107 °C for 2 minutes. The biocomposites were characterized for mechanical, chemical, physical, and thermal properties, while the developed plates were evaluated for water-holding capacity, colour, contact angle, impact strength, spreadability, and biodegradability. The optimized plates exhibited moisture content of 7.28%, contact angle of 69.8°, water-holding capacity of 21.69%, fracturability of 144.54 N, and hardness of 155.96 N. Notably, the contact angle of the biodegradable plates was higher than that of the biocomposites, indicating improved surface hydrophobicity. Spreadability values were greater with water than with other food models. Biodegradability tests showed promising results, as decomposition began within 20 days, with residual plate weight reduced to approximately 35% of the original mass. These biodegradable plates can be converted to packaging trays which can be useful for storing fruits, eggs, mushrooms etc.