Development of Biodegradable Packaging Material Using Garlic Peels (Allium sativum)

Abstract

Biodegradable packaging is produced using biopolymers which are molecules often found in living organisms like cellulose and proteins. The motive of the project is to convert household biodegradable waste (garlic) into biodegradable packs. This packaging method is done to reduce the environmental impact. The waste rate of the garlic peel is about 16-20% seed stock weight (1). Approximately 2.3-2.9 million tons of garlic peels were generated as waste worldwide. The peels are composed of cellulose (41-50%) hemi cellulose (16-26%) and lignin (26-30%) (3) which acts as effective packaging property. This is done to develop a biodegradable packaging using garlic peels and to find an eco- friendly alternative to reduce the current impact of plastic and over use of papers in packaging industries.