Introduction

Taro is a carbohydrate-rich plant that is cultivated in many parts of Indonesia as a source of food. The high starch content of taro and its abundance make it a good candidate for developing edible films in Indonesia. Through a specified film-making process, starches are combined with water and plasticizers such as glycerol and sorbitol in order to form a thick consistency.The starch provides the structure of the film, and the plasticizers turn the starch into a form that can be manipulated/molded more easily.

Starch extraction

Taro was peeled and store in water to prevent oxidation. Then soaked in 0.02% sodium metabisulfate. Drain out solution and blend taro with additional 0.02% sodium metabisulfate solution with a volume that make the blended taro have a paste-like consistency. Prepare cheesecloth over a beaker and filter the blended mixture into the beaker then cover with cheesecloth for 18hours until it makes sediment.

Then use a ladle to remove and dispose of the upper liquid layer of the sediment sample. Then, pour the remaining sample to the tray and leave it oven dried. After fully dried, grain until small particles were obtained and sieved to homogenized the particle size.

Conclusion

Currently, there are already many innovations involving the use of edible film. One particular example may be plastic shopping bags made out of cassava. In considering the different discovered traits each formula of taro - based edible film, we may consider new and innovative uses to add to efforts in making the food industry more plastic - free. One possible application is to use stickier formulas such as 5 % starch, 2 % glycerol as substitutes for plastic cling wrap currently used in storing food. This particular formula also has a medium WVTR value, meaning it will be better able to preserve food and keep moisture from coming in. Another option would be 4 % starch , 2 % sorbitol because of its very low WVTR value. More exploration could then be conducted to explore how this can be made stickier to better function as a substitute for cling wrap. Meanwhile firmer and less malleable formulas can be used to substitute plastics such as plastic bags, individual wrappers, and plastic or paper plates. The sorbitol formulas seem to overall be a better match for this purpose, though it is important to keep in mind some of the films cracked too easily to be applicable in this sense.