Seaweed as natural raw material for industrial applications; extraction, physio-chemical characterization and antioxidant potential of alginate based biofilm.

Brown seaweed Jolyna laminarioides was collected during low tide from coastal area of Karachi and was used as renewable source for production of sodium alginate. Starch was mixed with alginate as secondary polymer along with high (30%) and low (15%) concentration of bio-plasticizer (sorbitol and glycerol) to produce an eco-friendly biofilm by casting technique. Thickness, moisture content, solubility, bio-degradation test, density, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl picrylhydrazyl) assay was performed for each blend of biofilm. The obtained results showed the affinity of sorbitol and glycerol with alginate-starch matrix with significant moisture content, thickness and biodegradation properties. The antioxidative potential of alginate based biofilms make it suitable for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical applications like bio-packaging and manufacturing of eco-friendly production.