Plasticization of zein: A thermomechanical, FTIR, and dielectric study

Gillgren, Thomas, Barker, Susan A., Belton, Peter S., Georget, Dominique M. R. and Stading, Mats (2009) Plasticization of zein: A thermomechanical, FTIR, and dielectric study. Biomacromolecules, 10 (5). pp. 1135-1139. ISSN 1526-4602

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Abstract

Zein, the main seed storage protein of maize, has been widely studied as a possible source of material for the production of biodegradable plastic films. Plasticization of zein is critical to make functional films. While there have been a number of publications which report the behavior of systems with a wide variety of plasticizers, there have been few which attempt to examine the interactions of protein and plasticizer at the molecular level. In this paper, we report on the plasticizing effects of water, glycerol, and 2-mercaptoethanol, which were examined by a combination of spectroscopy (FTIR and dielectric) and thermomechanical methods. The results suggest that both water and glycerol are adsorbed onto the protein and form hydrogen bonds with the amide groups. The plasticizer then builds up in patches on the protein surface. 2-Mercaptoethanol only exhibited a weak plasticizing effect due probably to disulfide bond breaking.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Pharmacy (former - to 2024) Faculty of Science > School of Chemistry (former - to 2024)
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Biophysical Chemistry (former - to 2017)
Depositing User:	Rachel Smith
Date Deposited:	12 Apr 2011 09:39
Last Modified:	24 Sep 2024 09:22
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/28949
DOI:	10.1021/bm801374q

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