| ABSTRACT |
The invention disclosed the formulation and processing method to produce a gellan gum (GG) biocomposite buccal film. The GG biocomposite buccal films comprised of gellan gum (GG) polymer as the matrix and pineapple stem fiber (PSF) as filler. PSF was extracted from raw natural fiber from pineapple stems and underwent a few processes. The PSF filler can be dispersed well in the GG matrix and significantly improves the tensile properties of the GG-based film, particularly the tensile strength and toughness. The PSF filler with 3 wt. % loading from the total of polymer used allowed a significant raise in tensile strength, elongation at break and tensile toughness of the films. The invented buccal film is environmentally friendly due to employing an agricultural by-product (PSF) that can reduce the material costs compared to synthetic fillers and can be applied for drug delivery application.
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