RESEARCH JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY, cilt.5, sa.3, ss.76-79, 2010 (SCI-Expanded)
Biodegradability is defined as the capacity of to be broken down by the action of living things, such as bacteria and fungi being the main participants in the process of biodegradation in the natural world. The breakdown of materials provides them with precursors for cell components and energy for energy-requiring processes. Biodegradation is thus defined as catabolism. Some synthetic polymers, having chemical compositions resisting enzymatic attacks, can be microbially degraded with slower processes. Bioplastics is a term used for packaging materials derived from renewable resources and are considered safe to be used in food applications. In comparison to conventional plastics, the monomer composition of bio-based polymers can be differed by varying the producing strains, substrates and cosubstrates, and biopolymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), polylactic acid (PLA), polysaccahrides.