Plastic polymers are not resistant to heat and can contaminate products by
migrating monomer components, so that it has a negative impact on health so that
in this study a biodegradable film will be made which is expected to reduce
problems that arise due to the use of non-degradable plastics. Porang
(Amorphophallus oncophyllus Prain) are known as a high source of glucomannan.
The use of a mixture of hydrocolloids such as glucomannan and sodium alginate
as a base for biodegradable films leads to beneficial synergistic interactions,
namely an increase in mechanical properties. The weakness of biodegradable film
from carbohydrates is that it is easily torn, so it is necessary to add a plasticizer to
strengthen the resulting biodegradable film. Biodegradable films from
carbohydrates have rigid properties and are easily brittle, so glycerol is used as a
plasticizer. This study aims to examine the characteristics of biodegradable films
with the addition of various concentrations of glycerol as a plasticizer.
This study was laboratory experimental research.. Glucomannan and
sodium alginate have unique characteristics that are able to form a gel and easily
decompose so that they are suitable as the basis for biodegradable films. Glycerol
is added with the intention of improving the elasticity of the biodegradable film. The
addition of glycerol as a plasticizer was varied at concentrations of 0%, 30%, and
40%. The data were processed using IBM SPSS statistics 25 software.
The results showed that the biodegradable film with the addition of a
plasticizer with a concentration of 30% produced the best biodegradable film with
a swelling degree of 30.41%, a film thickness of 0.22 mm, and a degradation time
of 14 days. Meanwhile, biodegradable film with the addition of a plasticizer with a
concentration of 0% produced a film with a swelling degree of 39.98%, a film
thickness of 0.21 mm, and a degradation time of 21 days. Biodegradable film with
the addition of a plasticizer with a concentration of 40% produced a film with a
degree of swelling of 23.48%, a film thickness of 0.26 mm, and a degradation time
of 8 days.
Keywords: biodegradable film, porang, alginate, plasticizer, glycerol