ABSTRACT

As the market demand for biodegradable packaging needs in many countries is increasing, packaging material made of banana fiber could be a promising, sustainable, eco-friendly alternative for the existing synthetic materials. Banana fiber provides a better ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) and weatherproof since it has natural pigment, pectin, and lignin which act as UV absorbers, and also it has a higher moisture content which can preserve food material naturally. In this study, a nonwoven packaging material was developed using banana fiber by needle punching technique and was tested for their ability to preserve a few sensitive fruits and vegetables. From the observations, it was found that the lifespan of almost all the tested fruits and vegetables has increased in the range of 1–5 days when stored in boxes lined with banana nonwoven felt when compared to the existing commercial package, except for banana where the life span has reduced by 2 days. Hence, the banana pseudostem which is a wasted resource can be utilized as a sustainable, eco-friendly packaging material fetching additional income to the agriculture sector and also help the formers to increase the life span of their produce.

摘要

随着许多国家对可生物降解包装需求的市场需求不断增加，由香蕉纤维制成的包装材料可能是现有合成材料的一种有前途的、可持续的、环保的替代品。香蕉纤维具有更好的紫外线防护系数（UPF）和耐候性，因为它具有天然色素、果胶和木质素作为紫外线吸收剂，而且它具有较高的水分含量，可以自然地保存食物材料。在这项研究中，通过针刺技术使用香蕉纤维开发了一种非织造包装材料，并测试了它们保存一些敏感水果和蔬菜的能力。从观察来看，结果发现，与现有的商业包装相比，几乎所有被测试的水果和蔬菜的寿命都增加了 1-5 天，但香蕉除外2天。因此，作为一种浪费资源的香蕉假茎可以用作可持续的环保包装材料，为农业部门带来额外收入，并帮助前者延长其产品的使用寿命。