Wheat and banana co-products as sources of biofuels and biodegradable food packaging materials

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Both wheat and banana are important crops worldwide – wheat as a major source of carbohydrates and energy, and banana one of the most appreciated and consumed fruits. Both generate expressive amounts of co-products when processed into industrial products, and these co-products are sources of compounds (mainly cell wall polysaccharides) which can be used to obtain high added value products, such as biofuels and biodegradable packaging materials. Polysaccharides from wheat straw, wheat bran and banana peel will be extracted, quantified and characterized, and will be used to produce bioethanol and biodegradable packaging films. Cellulose will be primarily used for bioethanol production, since its hydrolysis produces glucose, which is readily fermented by yeasts. Hemicelluloses and pectins, on the other hand, are hydrolysed into pentoses and uronic acids, which are not easily fermented by yeasts. So, hemicelluloses and/or pectins (depending on the recoveries for each co-product) will be used as matrices for film production. Films will be strengthened through the addition of cellulose nanocrystals as well as phenolic compounds as cross-linking agents, in order to improve their physical properties and consequent performance as packaging materials. Besides being evaluated for physical performance, the films will be evaluated for antioxidant capacity, which could add more value to the resulting materials by conferring active and/or bioactive functions.

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