Development of single-use plates from the tegument of Keitt and Kent mango varieties

Abstract

Current mango production exceeds 40 million tons, which generates co-products that need to be exploited and valorized. The objective of this study was to obtain cellulosic pulp by applying an alkaline treatment to mango tegument from agroindustrial waste of the “Keitt” and “Kent” varieties for the development of single-use plates. The study was divided into three phases: (1) characterization of the mango tegument, measuring moisture and morphological parameters of the fibers; (2) obtaining cellulosic pulp with alkaline treatment; and (3) characterization of the developed prototypes with analysis of grease resistance, water absorption capacity, and mechanical properties. It was found that the morphological parameters of fiber length and diameter of the Keitt mango tegument were 934 ± 123 μm and 15.57 ± 2.90 μm, while for Kent, they were 1,048 ± 163 μm and 18.35 ± 4.25 μm, respectively. The tensile mechanical properties of the prototypes made from the Kent variety were superior to those of the Keitt and pine (reference) varieties. The water and grease absorption resistance properties that the prototypes exhibited were low, highlighting the importance of continued research to improve these aspects. However, the development of prototypes showed a potential for the valorization of mango waste, contributing to reducing the consumption of single-use plastics and generating other alternatives for their use.