Effect of Sodium Periodate Oxidation of Cassava Starch on Grease Resistance and Waterproofing of Food Wrapping Paper

Developing biomass-based packaging materials to replace plastic packaging materials is an inevitable trend for the food packaging area. Here, dialdehyde starch (DAS) was synthesized by oxidation of cassava starch using sodium periodate as the oxidizing agent, and then the waterproof and oil-resistant wrapping paper was prepared by coating DAS onto the surface of Kraft paper. The effect of the aldehyde content on the barrier properties of dialdehyde starch film and coated Kraft paper was studied. The results showed that the coated Kraft paper with 5 wt % DAS (aldehyde content of 98%) had the best comprehensive water and oil resistance, with an oil resistance grade of 10 and a Cobb60 value of 1.9 g/m2, which was significantly lower than that of the control sample (25.7 g/m2). In addition, the tensile energy absorption index (TEA*) was also improved from 17.6 to 123.4 J/g. Finally, coated Kraft paper was used to wrap burgers, fries, petit fours, etc., and the results showed excellent all-around performance, including barrier properties, mechanical strength, etc. The developed barrier technology has great potential in the food packaging industry.