Efecto de la modificación del almidón de arracacha y la concentración del plastificante sobre las propiedades mecánicas de películas biodegradables Effect of arracacha starch modification and plasticizer concentration on the mechanical properties of biodegradable films

Arracacha (Arracacia xanthorrhiza Bancroft) native starch (NS) was oxidized (OS) or acetylated (AS) to produce biodegradable films, changing the concentration of glycerol in order to determine the effect of modifying the starch type and concentration of the plasticizer on the mechanical properties of the films. It was observed that the type of modification of starch and the amount of plasticizer used in the formulae to obtain the films have significant effect (p<0.01) in tensile strength (TS), percent elongation at break (%E) and elasticity modulus (EM). When using AS for the production of films, a greater value in the average TS was reached and this is greater when using lowest amount of plasticizer. While using NS, higher average %E was achieved and this is greater when using higher amount of plasticizer. Among the two factors that affect the mechanical properties of the films obtained, there was not interaction.