Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Iranian Polymer Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s13726-021-01014-8 ORIGINAL RESEARCH Polysaccharide‑based blend flms as a promising material for food packaging applications: physicochemical properties Vishram D. Hiremani 1  · Tilak Gasti 1  · Saraswati P. Masti 2  · Ravindra B. Malabadi 3  · Ravindra B. Chougale 1 Received: 13 August 2021 / Accepted: 2 November 2021 © Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute 2022 Abstract To achieve eco-friendly polysaccharide-based blend flms, the diferent weight percentages of chitosan (CH) and oxidized maize starch (OMS) were mixed and the blend flms were fabricated by employing the solution casting method. The interac- tion between the components of the blend flms were confrmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The presence of hydrogen bonding interaction enhanced the elongation of the blend flms from 3.430 ± 0.75% to 43.26 ± 1.21%. The results from the diferential scanning calorimetry exhibited a single glass transition temperature for all the flms, depicting that the components of the blend flms are miscible over the entire composition. Barrier properties such as water vapor transmission rate and oxygen permeability of the blend flms were reduced after the inclusion of the OMS into CH. A decrease in the transmittance percentage of the blend flms compared to neat CH flm was observed, which helps to reduce oxidative deterio- ration in packed food products caused by UV radiation. The transparency of the flms decreased at lower weight percentage of OMS and showed higher transparency as the amount of OMS increased in the blend matrix. The XRD results revealed that the prepared flms are amorphous in nature. All the prepared flms exhibited a smooth and homogeneous surface mor- phology which was confrmed by the SEM analysis. The moisture content, water absorption capacity, water solubility and soil degradation of the blend flms decreased in contrast with pristine CH flm. Hence, the prepared flms have the potential to be used for food packaging applications. Graphical Abstract Keywords Mechanical properties · Biodegradable · Miscibility · Barrier · Water resistant Introduction The main intention of food packaging material is to sustain the quality of the food products throughout the transporta- tion and storage, as well as also to extend the shelf life of * Ravindra B. Chougale chougalerkud19@gmail.com 1 PG Department of Studies in Chemistry, Karnatak University, Dharwad 580003, India 2 Department of Chemistry, Karnatak Science College, Dharwad 580001, India 3 Miller Blvd, NW, Edmonton, AB, Canada