Results show that it was possible to successfully produce cornstarch–chitosan blends by extrusion with a high dispersion and distribution degree of the TPC phase in TPS as observed byscanning electron microscopy analyzes.
SEM micrographs showedblends with homogeneous surface, and the criofractured sam-ples displayed no agglomeration of chitosan within a completely destructurized starch matrix.
These blends also had good thermalstability in which the addition of chitosan produced more ther-mally stable films.
Moreover, addition of 5 and 10 wt.% chitosan acted as a plasticizer to TPS matrix, increasing the elongation atbreak (elongation at break increased by 56 to 35%, respectively)and decreasing tensile strength and elastic modulus.
Therefore,the obtained blends have potential for applications in packaging,especially where a high output of processed polymer is required ascompared to batch processing such as casting.