Biochemical Characterization of Starch from Manihot esculenta Peels and Icacina trichantha Tubers for Bioplastic Film

The utilization of conventional edible starch sources as raw materials for biodegradable film matrices has generated food insecurity concerns and conflicts between food supply and industrial sector. Therefore, this research work attempted to harness the potential of agro-industrial waste as raw materials for medical and industrial applications, in pursuit of food sustainability and green synthesis. The aim of this research was to, biochemically characterize starch extracted from cassava (Manihot esculenta) peels, and false yam (Icacina trichantha) tuber for the synthesis of bioplastic films as a promising alternative to conventional plastics. This study demonstrated the biochemical characterization of these starches by evaluating their physicochemical properties (swelling power, solubility, amylose and amylopectin composition, absorbance, moisture content, ash content and pH), functional group using Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), the presence of bioactive compounds using Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) and the morphological structure with the aid of Scanning electron Microscopy. The physicochemical analysis revealed that starch from cassava peels have significantly (p<0.005) higher values of solubility (3.97± 0.002%) swelling power (6.38±0.07g/g), amylose (22.90±0.16%) and moisture (6.59±0.18%) than false yam which on the other hand had higher content of amylopectin (82.98±0.68), ash (0.32±0.02%) and pH (8.3 ± 0.13). The FT-IR spectra of both starch sources demonstrated that carboxyl and hydroxyl groups were present in abundance and further revealed the unique presence of medium stretching vibrations of thiol and amine function group in cassava peel starch. Oleic acid was the most abundant bioactive compound among found in cassava peels (22.25%) while cis-13-Octadecenoic acid (28.47%) was the most abundant in false yam tuber starch. The scanning electron micrograph confirmed the shape and sizes of the crystalline structure of both starches. Although the starch extraction method was able to successfully retrieve the starch from these lignocellulosic substances, a comparatively less starch yield was observed in false yam tuber. However, both cassava peel starch and false yam starch were found to exhibit similar beneficial characterizations, their potential utilization as alternative starch-based matrices was demonstrated through this study.