Are Biodegradable Containers Microwave Safe?

With the growth of cloud kitchens and food delivery services, the packaging has much important role as before. It's common among the customers to order the food online and heat it in their Microwave.

In this article, I'll discuss more on the Microwave Safe Disposable Food containers. Everywhere you'll read about microwave safe food containers such as glass bowl, reusable plastic containers. It's not common to see articles on disposable food containers.

I'll try to throw some light on the topic as much as I can, based on my experience in the packaging industry and research available. Before we go through the test, it's essential to understand the working of the Microwave.

How Microwave heats the food?
In Microwave the radio waves penetrate the food the rocks the water molecule.
The water, Fat & Sugar can absorb the Microwave in your food, and the vibration in the molecule generates heat.

What makes the disposable Food Container not safe for Microwaves?
If the container could bubble, melt, or become otherwise deformed when heated indirectly by the food.
If the material could leach stuff into the food like BPA

What are the Properties of Microwave Safe Disposable Food Containers?
Won't heat up directly because there's no water in it
Won't melt when the food heats it indirectly
Won't vomit chemicals into your food when it's heated
Doesn't contain metal that's even moderately sharp-edged.

For the test, we'll fill each of the Areca, Bagasse, and Paper container with the water. We'll heat all three containers filled with the water together for a few seconds and will check the result.
As you can see, all tree containers heat the water without showing any sign of deformation. The Areca Bowl heats the water and retains its shape without showing any signs of deformation. The Bagasse container becomes soggy after a few minutes, and it becomes difficult to hold the bowl as it becomes flimsy. It is not because of the Microwave, but in general, the bagasse products becomes pretty weak after 20 minutes with thin liquid items. The Paper container has the plastic coating inside, which prevents the disposable cup from leaking. The plastic can withstand some heat and cause no harm. But can melt and leach chemicals if the limit exceeds.