High Strength Bio-Foams of Cassava Starch/Wheat Gluten Blends by Microwave Processing

Simple SummaryThe mucus layer is an important part of the system protecting the gut against injuries and bacterial infections. The main components of mucus responsible for its properties are mucins. They are large glycoproteins with a protein core rich in threonine (Thr) and many sugar side chains that differ in structure and affect mucin functions. Diet composition affects the amount of secreted mucins and their quality. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the effect of Thr and wheat gluten (WG) protein, added as a source of non-essential amino acids, on the content of tissue and luminal mucins in different parts of the intestine of young pigs. Results showed that tissue and luminal mucin content was only affected by WG levels in the duodenum and middle jejunum, and in the proximal colon, respectively. The effect of WG on luminal mucin content in the proximal colon depended on the analytical method applied.The aim of the study was to determine the effect of threonine (Thr) and non-essential amino acid (NEAA) levels on mucin secretion and sugar composition of digesta and crude mucin preparations analyzed in different segments of the gut in young pigs. A two-factorial experiment was conducted on 72 pigs using the following factors: Thr level (5.1, 5.7, 6.3 and 6.9 g standardized ileal digestible(SID) Thr/kg) and wheat gluten (WG) level used as a source of NEAA (20.4, 40.4 and 60.4 g WG protein in WG20, WG40 and WG60 diets, respectively). Mucin content was affected only by WG level. Tissue mucin content in the duodenum was higher in WG60 pigs than in WG20 and WG40 pigs, whereas in the middle jejunum was higher in WG40 and WG60 pigs than in WG20 pigs. In contrast, luminal crude mucin content in the proximal colon was lower in WG60 pigs compared to WG40 pigs. The lowest and highest Thr levels reduced arabinose and xylose contents and increased glucose content in ileal digesta. The highest WG level reduced arabinose and xylose contents and increased glucose content in ileal digesta. The lowest WG level increased mannose content in ileal digesta. WG60 level decreased the content of arabinose and galactose compared to lower WG levels in colonic digesta. Arabinose content was higher, while glucose and galactose contents were lower in crude mucin preparations isolated from colonic digesta in pigs fed diets containing the highest Thr level. The content of tissue mucin was higher in the ileum and proximal colon and lower in the duodenum than in the middle jejunum, whereas luminal mucin content was lower in the proximal colon than in the ileum. Ileal digesta contained less arabinose and glucose and more galactose as compared to colonic digesta. In conclusion, no effect of dietary Thr levels on mucin secretion in the gut of young pigs was found. Wheat gluten added to the diet with adequate Thr content positively affected mucin secretion only in the duodenum and middle jejunum.

In the present study, we were able to produce composites of wheat gluten (WG) protein and a novel genetically modified potato starch (MPS) with attractive mechanical and gas barrier properties using extrusion. Characterization of the MPS revealed an altered chain length distribution of the amylopectin fraction and slightly increased amylose content compared to wild type potato starch. WG and MPS of different ratios plasticized with either glycerol or glycerol and water were extruded at 110 and 130 °C. The nanomorphology of the composites showed the MPS having semicrystalline structure of a characteristic lamellar arrangement with an approximately 100 Å period observed by small-angle X-ray scattering and a B-type crystal structure observed by wide-angle X-ray scattering analysis. WG has a structure resembling the hexagonal macromolecular arrangement as reported previously in WG films. A larger amount of β-sheets was observed in the samples 70/30 and 30/70 WG-MPS processed at 130 °C with 45% glycerol. Highly polymerized WG protein was found in the samples processed at 130 °C versus 110 °C. Also, greater amounts of WG protein in the blend resulted in greater extensibility (110 °C) and a decrease in both E-modulus and maximum stress at 110 and 130 °C, respectively. Under ambient conditions the WG-MPS composite (70/30) with 45% glycerol showed excellent gas barrier properties to be further explored in multilayer film packaging applications.

Bio-nanocomposite foams of starch reinforced with bacterial nanocellulose fibers

Mitigation of seasonal temperature change-induced problems with integral bridge abutments using EPS foam and geogrid

Gluten is a key component that allows wheat flour to form a dough, and it is also a byproduct of the production of wheat starch. As a commercial product, wheat gluten is increasingly used in the food-related industry because of its versatile functional properties and wide range of sources. Wheat gluten is manufactured industrially on a large scale through the Martin process and batter process and variants thereof. Gliadin and glutenin impart cohesiveness and elasticity properties, respectively, to wheat gluten. The formation of gluten networks and polymers depends mainly on covalent bonds (disulfide bonds) and noncovalent bonds (ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, and hydrophobic interactions). The multifunctional properties (viscoelasticity, gelation, foamability, etc.) of wheat gluten are shown by rehydration and other processing techniques. Wheat gluten has been widely used in wheat-based products, food auxiliary agents, food packaging, encapsulation and release of food functional ingredients, food adsorption and heat insulation materials, special purpose foods, and versatile applications. In the future, wheat gluten protein will be used as an important raw material to participate in the development and preparation of various food and degradable materials, and the application potential of wheat gluten in food-related industries will be massive. This review summarizes the main manufacturing processes, composition, and structure of gluten protein, and the various functional properties that support its application in the food and related industries.

The functional properties and structural characteristics of deamidated and succinylated wheat gluten

Development of environmentally friendly glyoxal-based adhesives with outstanding water repellency utilizing wheat gluten protein

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 °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.

Immunological homologies between wheat gluten and starch granule proteins

An experiment was conducted to determine the nutritional value of wheat gluten and spray-dried porcine plasma in diets for weanling pigs. For the experiment, 120 pigs (14 lb avg initial body wt) were used in a 35-d growth assay. Treatments fed from d 0 to 14 postweaning were: 1) a dried skim milk-dried whey-soybean mealbased control; and 2, 3, and 4) spray-dried wheat gluten, spray-dried porcine plasma, and a blend of the wheat gluten and porcine plasma used to replace dried skim milk on a protein basis. All pigs were fed the same corn-soybean meal-dried whey-based diet from d 14 to 35. For d 0 to 14, pigs fed porcine plasma protein had greater average daily gain and average daily feed intake than pigs fed wheat gluten. However, for d 14 to 21 (i.e., during the transition period to the phase II diet), pigs fed diets with wheat gluten had the greatest feed intake and rate of gain compared with pigs fed other protein sources during phase I. Overall, pigs fed diets with wheat gluten and(or) plasma protein had greater rates and efficiencies of gain than pigs fed dried skim milk. The results indicate that spray-dried porcine plasma protein improves growth rate for the initial postweaning phase; however, feeding spray-dried wheat gluten during phase I results in improved growth performance during the transition to a phase II diet.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 18,1993

Wheat gluten and potato protein concentrate — Promising protein sources for organic farming of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Egg white-based bioplastics developed by thermomechanical processing

Development and in-house validation of a competitive ELISA for the quantitative detection of gluten in food

Lightweight polypropylene/BaTiO3 composite foams with tunable dielectric constant

As an innovative technique, the lost foam casting (LFC) process has drawn great attention from both academia and industry in recent years. The key feature of LFC process is that a desired shape pattern made of expandable polystyrene (EPS) foam is buried in unbonded sand and replaced by advancing molten metal. The heat and mass transfer between the molten metal front and the EPS foam pattern plays an important role in the soundness of the product in the LFC process. The present study focuses on determining the characterization of heat and mass transfer during the EPS pattern degradation process. A unique experimental system using a cylindrical quartz window and heated steel block simulating the hot molten metal front has been constructed to make measurements and visualize the process. The foam pattern is 88 mm in diameter and 254 mm long. It is coated twice with DCH Ashland refractory material and the average coating thickness is 1.2 mm. The heat flux and pressure between the moving steel block and the EPS pattern are measured. The process variables studied during this experiment include foam density and steel block speed. It was found that unlike the fluidity of the molten metal which is highly dependent on the density of the foam patterns, foam density has marginal effect on the heat flux from the steel block to the foam pattern. The heat flux increases about 37% during a one-minute process under steel block velocity of 4.4 mm/s using different EPS foam density of 24 kg/m3 and 27 kg/m3. Flow visualization shows a gaseous gap formed between the steel block and the foam pattern. The phase change and degradation of EPS foam pattern and the heat and mass transfer in the gap are crucial to characterize the mold filling process which decides the quality of casting products. The maximum pressures measured in the gap using steel block velocity of 4.4 mm/s are 1.1 kPa and 1.4 kPa for EPS foam density of 24 kg/m3 and 27 kg/m3, respectively. Under a slower steel block velocity of 3.6 mm/s the gap peak pressure using 24 kg/m3 density EPS foam pattern is 0.43 kPa. It is concluded that higher foam density and faster steel block speed give rise to larger gas pressure between the steel block and foam pattern. The measured pressure values confirm data reported in literature.