| 1. |
- Capezza, Antonio Jose, et al.
(författare)
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Extrusion of Porous Protein-Based Polymers and Their Liquid Absorption Characteristics
- 2020
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Ingår i: Polymers. - : MDPI. - 2073-4360. ; 12:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The production of porous wheat gluten (WG) absorbent materials by means of extrusion processing is presented for the future development of sustainable superabsorbent polymers (SAPs). Different temperatures, formulations, and WG compositions were used to determine a useful protocol that provides the best combination of porosity and water swelling properties. The most optimal formulation was based on 50 wt.% WG in water that was processed at 80 degrees C as a mixture, which provided a porous core structure with a denser outer shell. As a green foaming agent, food-grade sodium bicarbonate was added during the processing, which allowed the formation of a more open porous material. This extruded WG material was able to swell 280% in water and, due to the open-cell structure, 28% with non-polar limonene. The results are paving the way towards production of porous bio macromolecular structures with high polar/non-polar liquid uptake, using extrusion as a solvent free and energy efficient production technique without toxic reagents.
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| 2. |
- Gallstedt, Mikael, et al.
(författare)
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Film Extrusion of Crambe abyssinica/Wheat Gluten Blends
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Visualized Experiments. - : JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS. - 1940-087X. ; :119
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Crambe abyssinica is a plant with potential for use in industrial (non-food) plant oil production. The side stream from this oil production is a high-protein crambe meal that has limited value, as it is not fit for food or feed use. However, it contains proteins that could potentially make it a suitable raw material for higher-value products. The purpose of this study was to find methods of making this side stream into extruded films, showing that products with a higher value can be produced. The study mainly considered the development of material compositions and methods of preparing and extruding the material. Wheat gluten was added as a supportive protein matrix material, together with glycerol as a plasticizer and urea as a denaturant. The extrudate was evaluated with respect to mechanical (tensile testing) and oxygen barrier properties, and the extrudate structure was revealed visually and by scanning electron microscopy. A denser, more homogeneous material had a lower oxygen transmission rate, higher strength, and higher extensibility. The most homogeneous films were made at an extruder die temperature of 125-130 degrees C. It is shown here that a film can be extruded with promising mechanical and oxygen barrier properties, the latter especially after a final compression molding step.
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| 3. |
- Bettelli, Mercedes A., 1992-
(författare)
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Bio-based and Biodegradable Foams from Wheat Gluten using Up-Scalable Processes
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this thesis, the production of bio-based and biodegradable foams from wheat proteins (wheat gluten) is presented. Wheat gluten, a side stream from the ethanol/starch industry, was processed using both batch and continuous foaming methods. To produce the foams, glycerol, an effective protein plasticiser, was used, with two foaming agents common in food: sodium bicarbonate (SBC) and ammonium bicarbonate (ABC), to generate soft foams with both closed-and open-cell structures. ABC proved to be a better foaming agent in foam extrusion than SBC, but SBC performed well in the batch methods. Due to ABC’s low decomposition temperature, extrusion could take place at a temperature as low as 70 °C. Three different multifunctional additives (citric acid, gallic acid and genipin) were also used to influence and improve the foam properties. The mechanical properties showed that some of the materials could be potentially useful in cushioning and sealing applications. The foams also showed a high absorption of saline (model substance for body fluid) and blood (in the form of sheep’s blood), even under mechanical pressure. Based on these results, a wheat gluten-based product was manufactured as a proof-of-concept. The degradability of the foam in various relevant environments was studied. It was found that some foams degraded almost completely in soil after 8 weeks and in alkaline water after 5 weeks. It was also demonstrated that the foam also worked as a good fertilizer. As an alternative to direct composting when the foam is no longer used, the possibility of reusing the foam in a different form was evaluated. In this context, it was possible to produce plastic films from the foam.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Bettelli, Mercedes A., et al.
(författare)
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Effects of multi-functional additives during foam extrusion of wheat gluten materials
- 2024
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Ingår i: Communications Chemistry. - : Springer Nature. - 2399-3669. ; 7:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To broaden the range in structures and properties, and therefore the applicability of sustainable foams based on wheat gluten expanded with ammonium-bicarbonate, we show here how three naturally ocurring multifunctional additives affect their properties. Citric acid yields foams with the lowest density (porosity of ~50%) with mainly closed cells. Gallic acid acts as a radical scavenger, yielding the least crosslinked/ aggregated foam. The use of a low amount of this acid yields foams with the highest uptake of the body-fluid model substance (saline, ~130% after 24 hours). However, foams with genipin show a large and rapid capillary uptake (50% in one second), due to their high content of open cells. The most dense and stiff foam is obtained with one weight percent genipin, which is also the most crosslinked. Overall, the foams show a high energy loss-rate under cyclic compression (84-92% at 50% strain), indicating promising cushioning behaviour. They also show a low compression set, indicating promising sealability. Overall, the work here provides a step towards using protein biofoams as a sustainable alternative to fossil-based plastic/rubber foams in applications where absorbent and/or mechanical properties play a key role.
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| 6. |
- Bettelli, Mercedes, et al.
(författare)
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Sustainable Wheat Protein Biofoams : Dry Upscalable Extrusion at Low Temperature
- 2022
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 23:12, s. 5116-5126
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Glycerol-plasticized wheat gluten was explored for producing soft high-density biofoams using dry upscalable extrusion (avoiding purposely added water). The largest pore size was obtained when using the food grade ammonium bicarbonate (ABC) as blowing agent, also resulting in the highest saline liquid uptake. Foams were, however, also obtained without adding a blowing agent, possibly due to a rapid moisture uptake by the dried protein powder when fed to the extruder. ABC's low decomposition temperature enabled extrusion of the material at a temperature as low as 70 °C, well below the protein aggregation temperature. Sodium bicarbonate (SBC), the most common food-grade blowing agent, did not yield the same high foam qualities. SBC's alkalinity, and the need to use a higher processing temperature (120 °C), resulted in high protein cross-linking and aggregation. The results show the potential of an energy-efficient and industrially upscalable low-temperature foam extrusion process for competitive production of sustainable biofoams using inexpensive and readily available protein obtained from industrial biomass (wheat gluten).
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| 7. |
- Blomfeldt, Thomas Olof John, et al.
(författare)
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CELL 176-Insulation material made from wheat gluten
- 2008
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Ingår i: Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 0065-7727. ; 235
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Blomfeldt, Thomas O. J., et al.
(författare)
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Mechanical Properties and Network Structure of Wheat Gluten Foams
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biomacromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1525-7797 .- 1526-4602. ; 12:5, s. 1707-1715
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This Article reports the influence of the protein network structure on the mechanical properties of foams produced from commercial wheat gluten using freeze-drying. Foams were produced from alkaline aqueous solutions at various gluten concentrations with or without glycerol, modified with bacterial cellulose nanosized fibers, or both. The results showed that 20 wt % glycerol was sufficient for plasticization, yielding foams with low modulus and high strain recovery. It was found that when fibers were mixed into the foams, a small but insignificant increase in elastic modulus was achieved, and the foam structure became more homogeneous. SEM indicated that the compatibility between the fibers and the matrix was good, with fibers acting as bridges in the cell walls. IR spectroscopy and SE-HPLC revealed a relatively low degree of aggregation, which was highest in the presence of glycerol. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed distinct differences in HMW-glutenin subunits and gliadin distributions for all of the different samples.
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| 10. |
- Blomfeldt, Thomas O. J., et al.
(författare)
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Novel Foams Based on Freeze-Dried Renewable Vital Wheat Gluten
- 2010
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Ingår i: Macromolecular materials and engineering. - : Wiley. - 1438-7492 .- 1439-2054. ; 295:9, s. 796-801
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new way of producing rigid or semi-rigid foams from vital wheat gluten using a freeze-drying process is reported. Water/gluten-based mixtures were frozen and freeze-dried. Different foam structures were obtained by varying the mixing process and wheat gluten concentration, or by adding glycerol or bacterial cellulose nanofibers. MIP revealed that the foams had mainly an open porosity peaking at 93%. The average pore diameter ranged between 20 and 73 mm; the sample with the highest wheat gluten concentration and no plasticizer had the smallest pores. Immersion tests with limonene revealed that the foams rapidly soaked up the liquid. An especially interesting feature of the low-wheat-concentration foams was the "in situ'' created soft-top-rigid-bottom foams.
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