Bioplastics (or organic plastics), commonly used in throw-away, disposable items such as packaging due to its biological degradability, are mainly derived from cornstarch. Corn starch can be produced in mass quantities and therefore, produced cheaply and made easily accessible. And, many “green” packaging companies use cornstarch-based bioplastics.
But a new interest in improving the production of potato starch-based bioplastics has emerged. And, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada is embarking on a federally funded research project examining potato starch and possibly improving the process of its usage in bioplastics.