Taguchi Optimization of Plasticisation Process for Glycerol and TEA Based Thermoplastic Mango Starch Biofilms

Abstract

This investigation involves study of independent variable that influences the Young modulus of thermoplastic mango starch (TPS) as dependent response factor. The experiment was design using the Taguchi orthogonal technique with four independent variables; plasticiser type; glycerol (G), and Triethanolamine-(TEA) (T), percentage plasticiser (40 and 120 %), percentage carboxymethyl cellulose-CMC (10 and 50 %), and concentration of HCl (0.05 and 0.15 M). The result of the main effect plots for mean indicated that the gTPS-CMC1 with 268.85a MPa is a better outcome compared to gTPS-CMC3 with 280.31a MPa, since no significance difference was observed due to less composition requirement of CMC for gTPS–CMC1, making it more cost effective to produced with better optimum conditions. The interaction plot of the independent variables showed that for plasticiser types; when glycerol (G) was utilised a higher young modulus is observed than TEA (T) and only interacts with TEA (T) at 0.015 M HCl; 10 % CMC gives a higher response compared to 50 % CMC and showed no interaction even as the other independent variables fluctuates, and similar effect was observed for percentage plasticiser. Study concluded that the predicted mean (young modulus) is substantially consistent with the experimental observation (R2 = 0.6283).