Dados do Trabalho

Título

DEVELOPMENT OF FILM WITH PURPLE CORN FLOUR AND AÇAÍ SEEDS: PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

Introdução

Films produced from flours have sparked great interest in the packaging industry due to the blend of compounds such as carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins in their composition. These materials have been used in film-forming formulations to address the lack of certain physical, mechanical, and barrier properties in films. Purple corn flour is composed of 70% starch, while açaí seed contains 75% cellulose. These polymeric compounds are ideal for film formation. In this context, the stu.dy aims to evaluate the mechanical properties of films produced from purple corn flour and açaí seed

Material e Métodos

Four treatments were evaluated: T1 (5% w/v purple corn flour), T2 (4% w/v purple corn flour and 1% w/v açaí seed flour), T3 (3.5% w/v purple corn flour and 1.5% w/v açaí seed flour), and T4 (3% w/v purple corn flour and 2% w/v açaí seed flour). The films were prepared using the casting method, with 3% (w/v) glycerol as a plasticizer in all treatments. The analyses evaluated were percentage elongation and tensile strength. For this, a texture analyzer was used with an initial claw separation of 50 mm and 1 mm/s crosshead speed. The films were cut into 25 x 85 mm strips and analyzes were performed in triplicate.

Resultados e Discussão

The results showed significant differences (p < 0.05) between the treatments for both elongation and tensile strength.The tensile strength values were low, with 0.57 MPa for T1, 0.67 MPa for T2, 1.56 MPa for T3, and 0.63 MPa for T4, with T3 being the best treatment. Regarding elongation, it was observed that treatments T2, T3, and T4 presented higher values compared to T1, with values of 16.32%, 22.26%, and 13.06%, respectively.

Conclusão

These findings indicate that films obtained only with purple corn flour have inferior mechanical properties than films containing açaí seed flour. Therefore, açaí seed flour improved the elongation and tensile strength properties of the films, demonstrating potential for application in different film-forming matrices and contributing to the sustainability of the açaí production chain.