Development of a biodegradable plastic film extruded with the addition of a Brazilian propolis by-product

The development of new materials environmentally friendly has become an important market niche for the food industry. The agro-industrial wastes and by-products can be an alternative for the production of biodegradable food packaging. The work aimed to produce biodegradable plastic film extruded with antioxidant and antibacterial properties by the joining of cassava starch and Brazilian propolis by-product (BPB). The volatile profile of BPB, Brazilian propolis by-product film (BPBF), and control film (CF) were analyzed by gas chromatography. The mechanical, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of the films were also assessed. Eighty-seven volatile compounds were detected with aldehydes and terpenoids predominating in the samples. The major terpenoid detected in the samples was the 2-pinen-10-ol followed by α-copaene. Benzaldehyde and benzenepropanoic acid ethyl ester were the major aldehyde and ester classes present in the films. The BPBF exhibited promising mechanical properties showing the highest Elasticity modulus (11.96 Mpa) and excellent antioxidant (8.45 mmol Trolox equivalent/g) and antibacterial (12.5 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella Typhimurium) activities. The valorization of agro-industrial by-products following the current trends to environmental care can be a sustainable alternative for the development of a plastic into which the propolis by-product is incorporated in biodegradable packaginginfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparative analysis of chickpea with boro rice in drought-prone areas of Bangladesh

The study is conveyed to compare the profitability of chickpea and boro rice in Rajshahi district, which is one of the most drought-prone areas of Bangladesh. In this study, a total of 180 farmers (90 chickpea growers and 90 boro rice growers) are used as sample respondents, and data were collected by using a structured questionnaire in 2019. A probit regression model is used to find out the determinants that affect the cultivation of chickpea and boro rice. The important finding of this study is that the Benefit-Cost Ratio for chickpea and boro rice production is 1.88 and 1.05, respectively. The results indicate that chickpea cultivation is more profitable than boro rice cultivation. Besides, the study reveals that occupation, farm size, and seed have a positive impact while family size, human labor, and irrigation have negative effects on farmer’s decision to cultivate chickpea cultivation rather than boro rice. It is, therefore, concluded that the farmers should be encouraged to grow more chickpea rather than boro rice as a means of increasing farm income through crop diversification program