The strict environmental regulations to overcome the drawbacks of consumption and disposal of non-renewable synthetic materials have motivated this investigation. The physical, chemical, morphological, and thermal properties of Hylocereus Polyrhizus peel (HPP) powder obtained from the raw materials were examined in this study. The physical properties analyzes of Hylocereus Polyrhizus peel (HPP) powder discovered that the moisture content, density, and water holding capacity were 9.70%, 0.45 g/cm 3 , and 98.60%, respectively. Meanwhile, the chemical composition analysis of Hylocereus Polyrhizus peel (HPP) powder revealed that the powder was significantly high in cellulose contents (34.35%) from other bio-peel wastes. The crystallinity index of Hylocereus Polyrhizus peel (HPP) powder was 32.76%, according to further X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The thermal stability of Hylocereus Polyrhizus peel (HPP) powder was examined using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and found thermally stable at 204°C. The morphological study via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed a shriveled and irregular geometry surface. Hylocereus Polyrhizus peel (HPP) powder demonstrated the peak in the range representing the major functional groups responsible for pectin's properties. Thus, the findings revealed that the Hylocereus Polyrhizus peel (HPP) powder has the potential for the development of biodegradable and renewable materials.

Dragon fruit, also called pitaya or pitahaya, is in the family Cactaceae. It is found in two genera: ‘Selenicereus’ and ‘Hylocereus’. The substantial growth in demand intensifies dragon fruit processing operations, and waste materials such as peels and seeds are generated in more significant quantities. The transformation of waste materials into value-added components needs greater focus since managing food waste is an important environmental concern. Two well-known varieties of dragon fruit are pitaya (Stenocereus) and pitahaya (Hylocereus), which are different in their sour and sweet tastes. The flesh of the dragon fruit constitutes about two-thirds (~65%) of the fruit, and the peel is approximately one-third (~22%). Dragon fruit peel is believed to be rich in pectin and dietary fibre. In this regard, extracting pectin from dragon fruit peel can be an innovative technology that minimises waste disposal and adds value to the peel. Dragon fruit are currently used in several applications, such as bioplastics, natural dyes and cosmetics. Further research is recommended for diverging its development in various areas and maturing the innovation of its usage.

Thermoplastic starch is a material that has the potential to be environmentally friendly and biodegradable. However, it has certain drawbacks concerning its mechanical performance and is sensitive to the presence of moisture. The current study assessed agar-containing thermoplastic sago starch (TPSS) properties at various loadings. Variable proportions of agar (5%, 10%, and 15% wt%) were used to produce TPSS by the hot-pressing method. Then, the samples were subjected to characterisation using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and moisture absorption tests. The results demonstrated that adding agar to starch-based thermoplastic blends significantly improved their tensile, flexural, and impact properties. The samples’ morphology showed that the fracture had become more erratic and uneven after adding agar. FT-IR revealed that intermolecular hydrogen bonds formed between TPSS and agar. Moreover, with an increase in agar content, TPSS’s thermal stability was also increased. However, the moisture absorption values among the samples increased slightly as the amount of agar increased. Overall, the proposed TPSS/agar blend has the potential to be employed as biodegradable material due to its improved mechanical characteristics.