Preparation and Characterisation of Thermoplastic Starches from Cassava Starch,Cassava Root and Cassava Bagasse

Summary: Thermoplastic starches (TPS) based on cassava starch have been produced by extrusion at 120 °C, using glycerol as plasticizer. Three forms of cassava starch were employed, viz: cassava root (CR), cassava bagasse (CB) and purified cassava starch (PCS). The main differences between these are the presence of sugars and a few fibres in CR and high fibre concentration in CB. Conditions of processing and characteristics such as amylose and fibre content, crystallinity, water absorption and mechanical behaviour in the tension x deformation test were evaluated. The results demonstrated that the PCS and CR had amylose contents consistent with literature values (14–18%) and that CB is a material constituted mainly by amylopectin. It was found that fibres in high proportions (as in the bagasse) can confer reinforcement properties and are thus able to generate natural composites of TPS with cellulose fibre. The sugars naturally found in the root reduce the elongation of the TPS under tension. The PCS and CR TPS were stable with respect to indices of crystallinity after processing; and during a period of 90 d in a relative humidity of 53%, while the CB TPS tended to vary its crystallinity, probably because its amylose chain had low degree of polymerization.