The Effect of Plasticizers towards the Characteristics of Methylcellulose Film Packaging

Abstract The usage of petroleum-based film packaging causes a serious environmental problem, which affects human health as well as marine life. The main objective of this study is to study the effect of different plasticizers on the methylcellulose (MC) based film food packaging. Sorbitol and red palm oil (RPO) were used as plasticizers. The films were prepared by using solution-casting method before being characterized. FTIR spectrum showed the presence of 3361 to 3305 cm −1 peak as the presence of hydroxyl group in sorbitol and 2925 cm −1 to 2853 cm −1 peak corresponded to the C-H stretches of the alkanes of RPO. All films appeared in white colour for sorbitol while yellowish for films with RPO. Tensile strength and elastic modulus decreased over increasing amount of sorbitol or RPO due to the modified interactions between the plasticizers and the chemical structure of the film. Overall, RPO can be used as the substitute of sorbitol to incorporate with MC.