Students Innovative Project Report

COATING OF BIOPOLYMER OVER PAPER CUPS

ESPECIALLY FOR ICE CREAM CARRIAGE
SIP ID – 2324S0213

Submitted by

Ragul Prasath G

Thenambika P

Yogeshwaran T

Guided by

Dr. J. P. Nirmala

B.E. Printing and Packaging Technology

College of Engineering, Guindy
Anna University

Sponsored by

Centre for Sponsored Research and Consultancy (CSRC) Anna

University, Chennai – 600 025.

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 DEPARTMENT OF PRINTING AND PACKAGING
TECHNOLOGY, COLLEGE OF ENGINERING GUINDY, ANNA
UNIVERSITY

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

Certified that this Project Report titled ‘coating of biopolymer over paper cups
especially for ice cream carriage’is the bonafide work of Mr. Ragul Prasath G, Ms.
Thenambika P and Mr. Yogeshwaran T who carried out the work under our
supervision. We certify that, to the best of our knowledge the work described here was
completed in accordance with all university mandated rules, both during and after the
report’s implementation.

Dr. J. P. NIRMALA

Assistant Professor,

Department of Printing and

Packaging Technology,

College of Engineering Guindy,

Anna University, Chennai – 600025

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to a large number of people for giving us
immense support and help in various ways while working on this project. Firstly, we
would like to thank Centre for Sponsored Research and Consultancy (CSRC) for
selecting our proposal and giving us an opportunity to work on this project.

We express our sincere gratitude and thanks to our project guide, and Dr. J. P. Nirmala,
Assistant Professor from Department of Printing and Packaging Technology for the
continuous valuable guidance and support given to us throughout the project.

We are also greatly thankful to all the professors for their valuable suggestions and ideas.
Finally, we would like to extend our deepest and numerous thanks to our family and
friends whose support without which this project would not have been successfully
completed.

RAGUL PRASATH G

THENAMBIKA P

YOGESHWARAN T
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 ABSTRACT

Paper cups that are used traditionally have polymeric coatings on them. When
stored for extended periods of time, frozen foods like ice cream appear to react with the
polymers coated in these cups, posing health risks to users. Due to its regenerability and
durability in food packaging, a number of studies have concentrated on the optimization
of seeweed-derived polysaccharides in the production of coatings and films. Therefore,
we aim to incorporate a biopolymer in these coatings so that food storage is not
problematic. Alginate and Carrageenan were used as the base formulation for the
preparation of a blend film (Alginate - Carrageenan film), while Aloe vera is added for its
gelling and antimicrobial properties along with its edibility. The various compositions of
the films that were prepared by blending Carrageenan and Alginate were in the ratio
100:0, 60:40, 20:80, 40:60 and 0:100. The thickness, moisture content, and other
properties of the prepared films were analyzed through appropriate experimental
methods. Water absorbing property of the film increases with increase in concentration of
Alginate. The relationship between the quantity of Alginate and the moisture content was
found to be directly proportional in nature. Thus, the addition of Alginate on the blended
gel film improves the water absorption as it is hydrophilic in nature too. These developed
coatings can be successfully used to extend the shelf life of foods and maintain
appropriate quality parameters during shelf life. The best antibacterial and thermal
stability are found in Aloe Vera extract, which when combined with these polymers
improves the coating's performance in freezing temperatures. The greatest substitutes for

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hydrophobic coatings like polyethylene and polyvinyl alcohol are these plant-derived
polysaccharides, which are also entirely environmentally benign.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER.NO. TITLE PAGE NO.

ABSTRACT iv
LIST OF FIGURES vii
1 INTRODUCTION

1.1. PLASTICS
1.2. PAPER CUPS AND COATINGS

1.3. ALGINATE

1.4. I-CARRAGEENAN

1.5. ALOEVERA

2 LITERATURE SURVEY
3 MATERIAL AND METHODS

3.1. EXTRACTION OF IC/SA SOLUTION

3.2. EXTRACTION OF ALOEVERA GEL

3.3. PREPARATION OF IC/SA-ALOEVERA

SOLUTION
3.4. PROCESS OF FILM LAMINATION
3.5 PROCESS OF CUP MOULDING

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4 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

5 CONCLUSION
6 REFERENCE

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 LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE.NO. TITLE PAGE NO.

4.1. WORKFLOW OF THE PROJECT 10

5.1. CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF LAWSONE 11

5.2. CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF INDIGO 13

5.3 CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF XANTHAN GUM 15

5.4 CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF GUAR GUM 16

5.5 CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF GUM ARABIC 17

7.1 SKIN TEST- HENNA POWDER AND PSA WITH 23

PROTECTIVE LAYER
7.2 SKIN TEST- INDIGO POWDER AND PSA 24
7.3 PRINT RESULT OF INDIGO DYE AND PSA 25

7.4 SKIN TEST-INDIGO DYE AND PSA 26

7.5 SOAP TEST FOR SKIN 29

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 PLASTICS

Plastics are a wide group of polymers. They constitute long chains of carbon,
mostly synthesized from hydrocarbons and their derivatives. Plastics have a
high strength-to-weight ratio, stiffness, ductility, and corrosion resistance at a
relatively low cost than other materials like fabric or glass. This is the main
advantage that has helped plastics to make their way from our homes and
offices to landfills and oceans. Despite the advantages of plastics obtained from
fossil fuels, they are hazardous because of the large variety of chemicals they
contain - like bisphenols, PFAs, and CFCs. Moreover, the production of such
packaging materials requires significant amounts of natural resources and
energy, contributing to high levels of carbon emissions. In addition, single-use
packaging waste is a major contributor to pollution as it can take hundreds of
years to decompose because they are made up of long polymer chains that are
very stable and resist breaking down in the environment. Unlike organic
materials such as paper or food waste, which microorganisms can break down,
these petroleum derivatives do not readily decompose. Instead, they persist and
accumulate in the environment over time. These synthetic plastics are not just
difficult to degrade but also deteriorate food safety when used in food
packaging applications.

1.2 PAPER CUP & COATING

Lowering the usage of petroleum-based synthetic polymers derivatives play a

critical role in achieving sustainability and environmental protection. Here we
focuses on forming bio-polymer that replaces the polymer coating that’s been
used conventionally in the paper cups used for storing ice creams and other
frozen food stuffs. In order to lessen and stop the usage of polymer coating in
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the paper cups that impose on human health who consumes that stored foods, It
is crucial to keep an eye out for substitute materials that are recyclable,
reusable, or biodegradable as well as edible. Films and food coatings made of
various natural polymers, including proteins and polysaccharides, have been
explored extensively.

1.3 ALGINATE

Alginate is a naturally occurring anionic polymer typically obtained from brown

seaweed, and has been extensively investigated and used for many biomedical
applications, due to its biocompatibility, low toxicity, relatively low cost, and
mild gelation along with its edibility. Sodium alginate (naalg) is an abundant
linear polysaccharide present in marine brown seaweed. It is a very economical
biopolymer composed of β-D mannuronic acid (M) and α-L guluronic acid (G)
linked by 1 → 4 glycosidic bonds [1–3]. Due to numerous industrial uses as
stabilizers, viscosifiers and gelforming or film-forming, sodium alginate has the
capacity to be used by itself or in combination with other polymers in food
industry, pharmaceutical research and tissue engineering industry.

1.4 I-CARRAGEENAN

I-carrageenan is a water-soluble polysaccharide, derived from red algae, which

can be used in various applications. It has good film-forming properties due to
the considerable amount of sulphonic groups in its structure that allows the
formation of the film through the self-aggregation of its helical structures. I-CA
is used particularly as an additive and stabilizer in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical
and food industries. The use of I-CA as an edible film already covers various
areas of the food industry.

1.5 ALOEVERA

Aloe vera (also called as Aloe barbadensis Miller) is an herbal plan of high
therapeutic importance, which has been xextensively investigated for application
in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications It belongs to family Aloaceae
and is the most popular species of Aloe genera – native to northern Africa, and
comprised of more than 500 species. It is a succulent and xerophyte plant,
which is well adapted to grow in areas with little water. its gel is applied for the
preparation of functional foods, as natural preservative, or as a material for
edible films/coatings. Over the last decade, it has received considerable
attention as edible film/coating owing to its effectiveness towards shelf life
extension of various perishable food commodities. Apart from barrier
properties, the antioxidative and antimicrobial potential of Aloe vera gel
films/coating make them an excellent example of natural and active packaging.

In this work, we studied the compatibility of bio polymer films made up with
mixing sodium alginate, I-carrageenan and Aloevera by changing the various
concentration. Their ability to store ice cream in the paper cups and their
interaction with the product had also been checked by performing various tests
and analysis

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 MATERIALS AND METHODS

The materials used and the methods adopted in this study have
been described in this chapter.

MATERIALS
The materials used in this project are listed below:

 Sodium Alginate
 I-Carrageenan
 Aloevera

The main film preparing constituent materials were purchased from the
sudhagar biological laboratories in powder form. The aloevera extract is
prepared from the aloevera leaves which are available locally.

EXTRACTION IC/SA SOLUTION:

 The IC/SA solution is prepared by taking required amount of distilled

water(150ml) in a beaker and heated in the magnetic stirrer for 8-10mins
until the distilled water in the beaker get heated.
 Mixtures of sodium alginate and I carrageenan (10:0, 8:2, 6:4, 4:6, 2:8,
and 0:10) is mixed in a rate of 2% of the distilled water solution.
 The IC/SA powder particles where added to the distilled water solution in
a constant rate with a optimal speed in the magnetic stirrer.
 The IC/SA powder particles are weighed in electronic weighing machine
based on the respective ratio.
 The solution is homogenized at 700
xii rpm for 15-20mins in the magnetic

stirrer.
EXTRACTION OF ALOE VERA GEL:

 The extraction of gel from Aloe vera leaves is performed through filleting
method. The leaves with uniform maturity, size, color and freshness are
selected and washed with tap water followed by rinsing with distilled
water. The outer leaves of the aloe vera plant tend to contain the highest
concentration of gel.
 After washing, the leaves are prepared by cutting their base, top and sharp
spines. The green colored outer cortex layer is removed and the colorless
gel matrix is scooped out with the help of a spoon.
 The extracted gel is crushed in a domestic blender until the gel forms a in
a liquid form.
 Further homogenization of blended gel using a homogenizer (1,000 rpm)
has also been reported.
 The mixture is then filtered to remove impurities, pasteurized and cooled.
 The separation of anthraquinones, a laxative compound, can also be done
through activated carbon filtration. The prepared gel extract is stored at
refrigerated temperature

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 Mass of constituents
Volume of
Ratio of (grams)
solvent
blend
I-Carrageenan Sodium Alginate (ml)

0:100 0 3 150

60:40 2.4 0.6 150

40:60 1.2 1.8 150

20:80 0.6 2.4 150

100:0 3 0 150

PREPARATION OF IC/SA-ALOEVERA FILMS:

The steps followed in the IC/SA-Aloevera films were described below:

 For the film preparing solution, the solution of aloevera extract is added
by a rate of 5% of the required solution to the IC/SA homegenized
solution and the solution is homogenized using a magnetic stirrer at 800
rpm for 24hrs.
 The homogenized solution is placed in a sonicator for 20 mins at 40°C to
remove the bubbles present in the solution. The time period of the
solution to be placed in the sonicator is based on the level of the air
bubbles present in the solution in which, it can vary over a range of 20-30
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mins.
  The homogenized solution is then prepared as flims by the method of
solution casting. The IC/SA solution is poured in a petridish in different
ratios of (0:100, 100:0, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80). A concentration of 5% of
the aloevera solution is added to the different ratios of the homogenized
IC/SA solution.
 The petridish with different concentrations are placed in a oven and
allowed to dry at 45°C for 24hrs in oven.
 The film were removed from the petridish, once the films get completely
dried within the petridish.

PROCESS OF FILM LAMINATION:

The films are laminated in a kraft paper of 120gsm by manually with

hand. First, the films are dipped in distilled water, as the one edge of the film
gets completely covered with the water.

Then the films are attached in the kraft sheet with the wetted side facing
the sheet.

The sheet is coated consecutive with the films on both the sides of the
kraft sheet.

The sheets are allowed to dry which helps in laminating the films firmly
to the sheets.

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PROCESS OF CUP MOULDING:

Once the sheets are laminated with the films, the process of cup moulding
with the kraft sheets begins.

The film molding is done both manually and using machines for the
process of testing its ability to hold ice-cream within it.

In manual process, the laminated kraft sheets are cut in required sizes
based on the level of ice-cream to be placed in it.

Then, the sheets are folded in square shape and the edges are stapled
which forms a container.

The ice-cream is placed in the cups which are made manually and the top
is covered with a laminated sheet and taped on the top.

In machine molding, the laminated sheets are made into a round shaped
cup and the ice-cream is placed over it and the top layer is covered with a
laminated sheet.

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TESTS

THICKNESS OF THE IC/SA-ALOEVERA FILMS:

The thickness of 5 samples was measured using a micrometer. By the
thickness measurement, it was absorbed that the thickness of the films with
100% of carrageenan have thicker films than the other ratios of film formation.
The films with the ratio of 6:4 have optimal thickness during the measurement.

By comparing the data, it is found that the thickness of the films increase
with the increased rate of the I-carrageenan in the film forming solution. The
concentration of the aloevera solution is kept constant over the different ratio of
the solutions. However, a slight variation was found in the 6:4 ratio as it has a
optimal thickness.

Thus, it can be concluded that the concentration of the I-carrageenan have

a adverse effect in the thickness of the films. The thickness increases over the
increased concentration of the films and the 6:4 ratio have a optimal
concentration over the different ratios.

Thickness of the IC/SA-ALOEVERA films

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 RATIOS MEASURED THICKNESS (mm) MEAN (mm)

100:0 0.153 0.135 0.127 0.138

60:40 0.104 0.108 0.112 0.073

40:60 0.094 0.093 0.077 0.088

20:80 0.077 0.073 0.095 0.081

0:100 0.096 0.097 0.091 0.094

From the table, we observe that the 100:0 ratio have a highest
concentration among the various ratios.

THICKNESS MEASURMENT
0.18

0.16

0.14

0.12

0.1

0.08

0.06

0.04

0.02

0
(100:0) (60:40) (40:60) (20:80) (0:100)

Spot 1 Spot 2 Spot 3

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SEALABILITY TEST:
Sealability test is the procees of testing the film quality at high
temperature. The films are tested with a hot seal machine by placing the films in
the seal rod and pressed at high temperature. The fims with different ratios are
tested for its sealability.

From the above test, we infer that the films with the ratio 6:4 and 4:6
have a good sealing property and the films from other ratios are not sealed
properly.
We can conclude that the films with the blend of both I-carrageenan and
sodium alginate of equal concentration have a higher sealability properties
compared to other films.

Ratio Sealability
100:0 Bad
60:40 Good
40:60 Good
20:80 Bad
0:100 Bad

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CONTACT ANGLE MEASUREMENT:
 The behaviour of pure water in contact with the film surface is measured
by the contact angle. a precisely sized droplet of clean water to be applied to the
film's surface; the droplet's tendency to rise or fall depends on the film's surface
energy. The contact angle between the droplet and the surface is used to
quantify this. The droplet will be flatter and closer to the surface in a higher
energy ("higher treatment") film, resulting in a reduced contact angle value.
Contact Angle Meters are used for the determination of wetting
characteristics of solid materials. Contact angle meters (also known as optical
tensiometers or goniometers) allow direct measurements of surface tension,
interfacial tension and contact angles. Contact angle is an extremely versatile
technique used for characterization of liquids. The equipment captures drop
images and automatically analyses the drop shape as a function of time. The
drop shape is function of surface tension of liquid, gravity and the density
difference between sample liquid and surrounding medium. On a solid the
liquid forms a drop with a contact angle that also depends on the solid’s surface
free energy. The captured image is analysed with a drop profile fitting method in
order to determine contact angle and surface tension.
The contact angle of the films are measured and it is represented in the
table below. The contact angle measurement is mainly used to the find the
hydrophilic nature of the film surface.
From the above test, it is found that the ratio of 4:6 is hydrophobic and
the other ratio are hydrophilic.

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 HYDROPHILIC
RATIO CONTACT ANGLE
NATURE

100:0 84.6 85 Hydrophilic

40:60 95.3 96.9 Hydrophobic

60:40 64.9 67.5 Hydrophilic

20:80 32.4 37.100 Hydrophilic

0:100 24.5 25.3 Hydrophilic

MICROSCOPIC VIEW ANALYSIS:

The study of materials and their characteristics at length scales between

millimetres and nanometers, which are invisible to the human eye, is known as
microscopy. When materials are observed at such high magnifications,
structural, chemical, and physical details related to the material's performance
can be obtained. By taking a picture of the material and using that image to
analyse the sample's morphology at the micro- or nanoscale, microscopy
techniques can yield the required information.

The microscopic view analysis helps in studying the surface of the films and the
impure components residing in the film surface. The microscopic view of the
images are attached below.

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 60:40 0:100

100:0 20:80

40:60
From the above test, we infer that the 0:100 and the 60:40 have a
clear film formation when compared to other ratio.

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FTIR
The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) examination of the extracted sample
obtained the infrared absorption measurement, which was used to determine the
functional group contained in the sample.
The major peaks of alcohol, COH or amine groups appeared at 3389 cm-1 for the
I-carrageenan and Sodium Alginate in the peak 1.
The alkane groups were observed in the peaks of 2922 cm-1 – 2930 cm-1 for the
ratio’s of I-carrageenan and Sodium Alginate.
The peak 3 and peak 4 is observed in the point of 1619cm-1 – 1640cm-1 which
represent the alkene groups of the concentration of the film forming solution.
The O-sec-c bonds were represented at the wavelength of 1094.4 cm-1 as peak 5
and the peak 6 at 1024cm-1 represents the O-prim-c bonds.

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