ARS | Publication request: STARCH-BASED LOOSE FILL USED FOR PRODUCT PACKAGING

Submitted to: Industrial Uses of Agricultural Materials Situation and Outlook
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: August 21, 1996
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Starch-based loose-fill foams are biodegradable and have competed well with EPS-based loose-fill although starch-based loose-fill costs approximately 30 percent more and is more than twice as dense as EPS-based loose-fill. All starch-based products have a significantly higher foam and bulk density and open cell and moisture content compared to EPS. Both product types have similar compressive stress and resiliency. Starch-based loose-fill i more sensitive to changes in relative humidity and temperature than EPS, but the higher amount of absorbed moisture does not compromise its mechanical integrity. Research efforts are continuing to reduce the cost, improve performance, and develop new applications for loose-fill and other starch-based foam products at starch producers, packaging manufacturers, and government research laboratories such as the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, IL.