# Water-Insoluble Films from Upcycled Babassu Coconut Byproducts: An Alternative Material for Single-Use Oil Sachets

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new water-insoluble film made from babassu coconut byproducts that could replace single-use oil sachets.

## Contribution

The study is the first to incorporate babassu cake into a polymer blend film for oil packaging.

## Key findings

- Alkaline treatment improved crystallinity, heat resistance, solubility, and luminosity of the film.
- BF-BCFS12 films preserved oil texture better and showed anti-ultraviolet properties.
- The film demonstrated moderate hydrophilicity and lipophilicity with good initial strength.

## Abstract

This research presents the development of an innovative
water-insoluble
film intended for use as an oil sachet. A polymeric matrix composed
of babassu mesocarp flour, or its blend with babassu cake supernatant,
was prepared at both native pH and pH 12. The alkaline treatment combined
with supernatant (BF-BCFS12) significantly enhanced the crystallinity
index (reducing from 7.35% to 3.21%), heat resistance (increasing
from 57.56 to 71.25 °C), solubility (increasing from 0.14% to
1.23%), and luminosity (decreasing from 33.86 to 20.43) in comparison
to the pure mesocarp film. An innovative permeability evaluation conducted
using cream crackers indicated that the alkali-treated films preserved
texture more effectively than the original packaging. The antiultraviolet
property emerged as a critical factor in selecting BF-BCFS12 as a
sachet for soybean and olive oils stored for 6 days under conditions
conducive to oxidation (50 ± 2 °C under light at a distance
of 6 cm). The surface wettability of BF-BCFS12 exhibited moderate
hydrophilicity in water (approximately 60°) and lipophilicity
in oil (less than 17°). The sachet demonstrated an initial strength
of 83.32 N, and after 6 days, the peroxide value of soybean oil was
found to be 1.45 times higher, while that of olive oil was 2.8 times
lower than that observed in the original package, with acidity and
color differences remaining unchanged. To our knowledge, this is the
first study to incorporate babassu cake into a polymer blend film.