Abstract: Cassava starch has the advantages of good ductility, viscosity and permeability, and is feasible to be used in the production of degradable natural polymer film materials due to its good degradability and film-forming capacity. Most current studies on cassava starch-based film materials are focused on the fields of biodegradable film, antibacterial film, pH indicator film and slow-releasing film. However, cassava starch-based film materials have worse thermal stability and mechanical properties than conventional thermoplastic materials. Hence, modification of cassava starch-based film materials will be the focus of future studies. This paper summarizes the methods commonly used for preparing, strengthening and modifying cassava starch-based film materials and reviews the application of cassava starch-based film materials. Meanwhile, an outlook on future trends is presented.

Key words: cassava starch; film materials; preparation methods; strengthening and modifying; application