Conventional petrochemical plastics are mechanically and chemically stable but are often not biodegradable. What's more, depending on their synthetic chemical composition, these plastics can also pose a health risk by contaminating trophic and food chains. Plastics based on biodegradable biopolymers are an alternative to non-biodegradable fossil plastics. To improve bioplastics derived from local agrobiomass, two starch stocks were extracted and purified from cassava tubers. One was chemically oxidized and the other non-oxidized. Plastic biofilms were synthesized from these two stocks. Physicochemical properties such as thickness, density, water content, water uptake, opacity and water solubility of these biofilms were studied. SEM analysis coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer was used to determine the morphology and chemical composition of the biofilms. Biodegradability was assessed by burial in soil. The total starch oxidation rate was approximately 5%. Starch oxidation resulted in a significant decrease in biofilm solubility from 16.496% ± 0.372 to 1.428% ± 0.718. However, the process resulted in a 0.502 unit increase in biofilm density due to starch oxidation. Other physicochemical properties showed that these biofilms are suitable for a wide range of applications. The biofilm obtained after starch modification is less biodegradable.
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