Effect of Carboxymethyl Cellulose on the Mechanical and Barrier Properties of Sago Starch Based Films

Using biodegradable films is increasingly growing since they contain natural materials. In this study, sago starch and carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC) were used in film preparation. Sago starch films with 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% CMC concentrations were prepared using solvent casting method. The mechanical properties were determined according to standards of American Society for Testing and Materials. In mechanical test of the combined films, increased CMC concentration significantly (P<0.05) increased tensile strength and Young Modulus from 21.04 to 27.74MPa and from 1372.83 to 1842.87kg/m2, respectively, and percent elongation showed significant (P<0.05) reduction from 17.69 to 15.39. Considering biodegradability of the edible films and improvement of their mechanical properties by CMC, they can be utilized in different industries, particularly in food industry, as an edible coating for packaging food and agricultural products. With regard to its properties such as cost saving, biodegradability and mechanical properties when percentage of CMC increased can found a position among food packaging materials.