Morphological and structural characterization, storage stability, and biodegradability study of carrot and beetroot peel incorporated edible cutlery

Abstract:

In this study, the morphological and structural properties, storage stability and biodegradability of carrot and beetroot peel based edible cutlery using whole wheat flour, sago starch, white sesame seeds and cinnamon powder were studied. The optimized formulation with 10% combined carrot and beetroot peel powders was tested to ascertain effectiveness and compared to a control formulation with 0% peel powder. The surface morphology and the elemental composition of the obtained samples were obtained by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), whereas the structural characteristics were obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. SEM analysis showed a more compact and aggregated microstructure in the peel-enriched formulation than in the control, which meant that good incorporation of peel particles into the edible matrix of the cutlery has been achieved. The EDX analysis indicated the presence of carbon and oxygen as the major components, while potassium was only detected in the peel incorporated optimized formulation. The XRD patterns showed mostly the amorphous nature, and suggested reduced crystallinity after peel incorporation. The ATR-FTIR spectra identified hydroxyl, carbonyl, amide and carbohydrate-associated functional groups that are typical of the composite biopolymer matrix. The moisture uptake rates for accelerated storage ranged from 0.298 to 0.311% day-1 and moisture based shelf life was estimated to be approximately 23-25 days at the chosen moisture end point of 11%. Burial experiments in the soil revealed that the biodegradation rate was 13.27 ± 3.85% after 10 days. The results suggest that carrot and beetroot peel powders can be effectively added to edible cutlery to create a structurally stable, biodegradable, edible product while also encouraging the valorization of vegetable processing by-products for food applications.