Biodegradable, high mechanical strength, and eco-friendly pectin-based plastic film

In this paper, pectin-based plastic films were developed by grafting vanillin to pectin chains and introducing Fe3+ ions. The mechanical properties, thermal stability, moisture resistance, UV-light barrier property, biodegrad-ability, and practical application of fabricated plastic film were evaluated. Results confirmed the successful grafting of vanillin and the presence of hydrogen bonds and metal-ligand bonds, giving the plastic film highest fracture stress of 41.68 +/- 4.10 MPa, which was nearly 481.31% enhancement than that of neat pectin film. Additionally, the thermal stability, moisture resistance, and UV-blocking property (200-400 nm) of fabricated plastic film were significantly improved. Moreover, the plastic film exhibited satisfying processability, which can be processed to bag and appearing excellent food preservation ability. After use, the plastic film can be completely biodegradable in soil (degradation time approximate to 7 weeks) and seawater without manual interference. Thus, our proposed pectin-based plastic film can be recommended as a non-polluting and sustainable food packaging substitute.