VATIS UPDATE Article

The Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) has conducted tests on a transparent biodegradable bag for use in farms to help reduce the amount of plastic waste which is harmful to the environment. PhilMech in collaboration with the National Mango Research and Development Center, Guimaras, has tested a biodegradable bag made from cassava starch and polybutylene succinate (PBS). The PBS and starch were melt-blended in a twin-screw extruder and then blown into a film extrusion machine.

PhilMech first developed a transparent biodegradable fruit bag for testing. The biodegradable fruit bag measures 6 x 8 inches with a thickness of 150 microns. The tensile strength is within the range of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) while the elongation is within the range of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). However, the biodegradable bag has higher density and absorbs more water.

PhilMech projects that the biodegradable fruit bag would completely degrade after 36 weeks.

When the biodegradable bag was tested as packaging on fruits, the quality of harvested fruits in terms of percent marketable, non-marketable and export, peel color at ripe stage, flesh color and percent edible portion were comparable with the existing bagging materials such as a Chinese brown paper bag and old newspaper.