Cassava Starch-Based Composite Reinforced with Coconut Mesocarpfibers: Analysis of Physicochemical Stability

 In one of our previous articles, we developed a cassava starch material reinforced with coconut mesocarpfibers. Its properties have been evaluated. It appears that the behavior of the composite depends on the atmospheric conditions of exposure. The purpose of this work is to do a more in-depth physicochemical stability analysis. To do this, identical samples were exposed in different chemical environments: basic, saline, acidic and distilled water. The mass losses are measured after 75 days of immersion in the different solutions in three cases: films without addition of lime and fibers, film with the presence of lime and without reinforcements, and finally the composite with lime and fibers. We observe that, in all cases, the loss of mass decreases with the addition of lime and fibers. However, in the basic solution, this decrease is greater (53.4%) while it remains acceptable in a saline environment (1.1%). In short, this material can be used for several applications in the field of packaging such as the preservation of dry salty products.