In situ compatibilization of starch-zein blends under shear flow

Starch-zein blends show poor adhesion between the two phases. Aldehyde starch was investigated as compatibilizer for these blends. Wheat starch was oxidized under mild conditions using sodium hypochlorite in the presence of the 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO) and NaBr to prepare aldehyde starch. The oxidized starch was characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Rapid Visco-Analyzer. Starch-zein blends plasticized with water and glycerol were prepared using simple shear flow in an in-house developed shearing device. Different zein ratios were tested to study the influence of aldehyde starch on the proper-ties of the final material. The morphology of the blends was observed with confocal scanning laser microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Tensile tests were used to evaluate the performance of the material. Both microscopy and tensile tests indicated that the blends had improved adhesion between the zein and starch phases, probably by reaction between the aldehyde groups in the starch molecules and zein. The aldehyde starch also influenced the properties of the starch matrix (higher viscosity, larger breakdown), which shows that physical or chemical crosslinks were formed inside the starch matrix. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.