Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
8589684 
Journal Article 
Reactive extrusion-processed native and phosphated starch-based food packaging films governed by the hierarchical structure 
Gutierrez, TJ; Valencia, GA 
2021 
Yes 
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
ISSN: 0141-8130
EISSN: 1879-0003 
ELSEVIER 
AMSTERDAM 
172 
439-451 
English 
33453260 
WOS:000619184100044 
The aim of this research work was to investigate novel tools given by nanotechnology and green chemistry for improving the disadvantages typically associated to the starch-based films: water susceptibility and brittle mechanical behavior. With this in mind, four food packaging film systems were developed from corn starch or corn starch nanocrystals (SNCs), and modified by phosphating under reactive extrusion (REx) conditions using sodium tripolyphosphate (Na5P3O10 - TPP) as a crosslinker. The structural, physicochemical, thermal, rheological and mechanical properties, as well as studies associated with the management of carbohydrate polymer-based plastic wastes (biodegradability and compostability) were carried out in this study. The hierarchical structure and the modification of the starch were dependent on the amylose content and degree of substitution (DS), which in turn depended on the hydrogen (H)-bonding interactions. In both cases, a higher molecular ordering of the starch chains in parallel was decisive to obtain the self-assembled thermoplastic starches. Beyond the valuable results obtained and scientifically analyzed, unfortunately none of the manufactured materials achieved to improve their performance compared to the control film (thermoplastic starch - TPS). It was even thought that the phosphated starch-based films could fertilize lettuce (Lactuca sativa) seedlings during their biodegradation, and this was not achieved either. This possibly due to the low content of phosphorus or its poor bioavailability. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 
article; Compostability; Eco-friendly materials; Food nanotechnology; Self-assembly; Lactuca sativa; amylose; bioavailability; biodegradability; biodegradation; brittleness; corn starch; extrusion; green chemistry; hydrogen; lettuce; nanocrystals; phosphorus; sodium tripolyphosphate; thermoplastics