Sweet Potato Starch/ Clay Nanocomposite Film: New Material for Emerging Biodegradable Food packaging

Environmental pollution caused by excessive waste from packaging materials drived the researches to develop biodegradable food packaging systems. One possible solution may be the utilization of a range of naturally derived materials. Sweet potato starch (SPS) is a low cost and abundant biodegradable polymer that may be used for packaging. However, starch films are inherently brittle and lack the necessary mechanical integrity for conventional packaging.The incorporation of additives can potentially improve the mechanical properties and process ability of starch films. Biopolymer–clay nanocomposites are new classes of packaging systems with potentially improved mechanical properties. This review discusses the possible uses of natural materials such as clay nanofillers with SPS to develop biodegradable nanocomposite packaging films to address issues of environmental impact, and agricultural sustainability.