Evaluation of Physicochemical and Antifungal Properties of Polylactic Acid–Thermoplastic Starch–Chitosan Biocomposites

ABSTRACTBiocomposites of polylactic acid, thermoplastic starch, chitosan powder, and chitosan lyophilized powder were prepared using an extrusion process. The color, thermal, structural, mechanical, morphology, and antimicrobial properties were evaluated. The addition of thermoplastic starch and chitosan (chitosan powder and chitosan lyophilized powder) produced significant changes in color and heterogeneous surface morphology of the polylactic acid biocomposites. The thermal, mechanical, and morphometric properties of the material showed changes with the addition of thermoplastic starch and chitosan (chitosan powder and chitosan lyophilized powder). The biocomposites formulated with chitosan powder and chitosan lyophilized powder showed antifungal activity when evaluating this property. The biocomposites produced could be used in packaging applications.