Disposal of used plastic products made from petroleum has become a public concern due to their nondegradability
and the potentially hazardous degradation products from incineration or biological activity. Environmental
awareness of the non-biodegradability of the petrochemical-based plastics (e.g. polystyrene) and the increasing use of
composting in waste management has created a need for biodegradable materials such as starch [1, 2, 3]. Starch is
inexpensive, naturally occurring renewable polymer that is a potential raw material for the manufacture of plastic-like
materials. In its granular form, starch has very few uses, and in order to release the polymer properties, granule disruption
(plasticization) has to take place. Its use in plastic production would greatly reduce the demand for petroleum as well as
alleviate the negative impact on the environment caused by discarded plastic products. According to Gould et al. [4], plastic
products containing starch are considered biodegradable because starch easily degrades into simpler compounds that can be
metabolized by microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria and yeast.