Biofilms from pitahaya and chayote by-products for sustainable packaging applications

Overview

This research program develops biodegradable biofilms from agricultural by-products of pitahaya (Hylocereus sp.) and chayote (Sechium edule), two tropical crops widely cultivated in Latin America. The biofilms leverage natural polymers extracted from fruit peels and cladodes that would otherwise be discarded, converting agricultural waste into value-added materials with potential industrial applications, particularly in sustainable packaging.

The core value proposition lies in transforming low-cost plant-based residues into functional biofilms with tunable properties. By incorporating plasticizers such as glycerol, sorbitol, and ethylene glycol, the resulting materials achieve improved flexibility, processability, and mechanical performance, making them viable candidates to replace petroleum-derived films in select applications.

Technical specifications

Processing methodologies:

• Wet method: Direct extraction of biopolymers from fresh by-products, with parameters optimized for extraction time, temperature, casting mass, and drying conditions
• Dry method: Production from dried by-product, with controlled parameters for drying time, temperature, granulometry, and biofilm-forming mass

Feedstock materials:

• Pitahaya (Hylocereus sp.) peels
• Pitahaya cladodes
• Chayote (Sechium edule) peels

Plasticizer systems:

• Glycerol, sorbitol, and ethylene glycol evaluated at various concentrations to optimize physicochemical and mechanical performance

Characterization techniques:

• Thickness, color, and solubility in solvents
• Water permeability
• Tensile strength and elongation
• Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
• Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
• X-ray diffraction (XRD)
• Atomic force microscopy (AFM)

Technology readiness level

The technology is at an early-to-intermediate development stage. Stable biofilms have already been successfully produced from three by-products using both wet and dry methodologies, with processing parameters defined for each route. Ongoing and future work will systematically evaluate the effect of three plasticizers at varying concentrations on biofilm properties, followed by comprehensive physicochemical and mechanical characterization. Once properties are fully characterized, the industrial potential of the resulting biofilms will be assessed to identify target applications and guide scale-up decisions.