Abstract:
The plates which are made from fresh leaves or pretreated leaves, with the
help of leaf plate making machine are known as leaf plates. These plates are
biodegradable and are having a natural and attractive appearance. Due to the
unavailability of areca leaf sheath for the production of plates, alternative leaves such
as teak leaves, vattayila, fig leaves, almond leaves, fresh banana leaves, partially
dried banana leaves and dried banana leaves can be used. The leaves of standardized
moisture content after pre treated with turmeric solution are pressed between the dies
of leaf plate making machine. For supporting the food material in the plates; pre
treated leaves should be pasted to a card board of 1mm thickness. The standardized
die temperature and retention time should be followed. For enhancing the shelf life of
the leaf plates; should be packed in air tight LDPE (400 gauges) or PP (200 gauges).
Quality parameters in terms of shelf life and overall acceptability were done in every
7 days interval. The study concluded that the procedures should follow the
standardized moisture content, die temperature and retention time depending upon the
type of leaves and the LDPE or PP bags were more suitable for the packaging of leaf
plates. The response shown by LDPE and PP were same. The study also revealed that
leaf plates made of teak leaves, dried banana leaves and vattayila are the suitable
alternatives for areca leaf sheath.
