Biopolymer film

Written by Dr Thoo Yin Yin, School of Science

Biopolymer film is produced from sustainable raw materials, advocating the green and sustainable approach in food production. Fruits, packaged dried food, oil, and more can use this film as an alternative to single-use plastic food packaging. It is non-toxic and easy to use as an alternative packaging material to keep food products fresh and reduce food spoilage. Its high biodegradability allows simple disposal after usage.

Malaysia ranks second in Asia for annual per capita plastic use in 2019. The rate of plastic waste production is far exceeding the speed of plastic degradation, causing an imbalance in the biomes and resulting in water pollution. Thus, my research team propose biopolymer-based packaging film as an alternative single-use food packaging. It provides simplified end of life disposal after usage and reduces dependency on fossil fuel resources.

We use simple film production: solvent casting methods and naturally sourced ingredients to produce sustainable food packaging. This alternative food packaging has short term durability to keep the product fresh while preserving its rapid biodegradability. We are currently translating research to the application by focussing on the performance test using biopolymer film in different foods. We will complete the research project in 2 years.

We can vary projects through the Monash Malaysia established research platform equipped with core facilities and capabilities. We recruited team members for this research project through the university graduate research scholarship. Meanwhile, the School of Science provided me with an Early Career Researcher (ECR) grant to kick-start the project.