Biosynthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Blends from Tamarind Seed: Xyloglucan and Polyhydroxybutyrate Precursors

Abstract

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is biodegradable aliphatic polyester that is produced by a wide range of microorganisms. Basic PHB has relatively high glass transition and melting temperatures. To improve flexibility for potential packaging applications, PHB is synthesized with various co-polymers such as Xyloglucan (XG) leading to a decrease of the glass transitions and melting temperatures. In this work, the brittle Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) was blended with Xyloglucan (XG) a hemicelluloses, rich in tamarind seeds, and solvent casted with plasticizer (Polyethylene glycol) PEG which is biodegradable copolymer. Moisture absorption (%) of the blend film was determined. Thus, the results conclude that XG-PHB blend improves the process-ability to create a new type of eco-friendly blend material suitable for potential packaging applications.

Production and Characterization of Polymer Blends and Assessment of Biodegradation

“…The pH of the production medium was maintained at 7 and then incubated for 48 h at 45 °C. After incubation, microbial cells were collected by centrifugation at 10,000 rpm for 15 min, and the pellet was washed twice with acetone and ethanol before being resuspended in 4% sodium hypochlorite solution [10]. After washing, the obtained polymer granules were stored for future use.…”