Mechanical profiles and topographical properties of films made from alkaline extracted arabinoxylans from wheat bran, maize bran, or dried distillers grain

Abstract

Cereal processing byproducts including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) bran, maize (Zea mays L.) bran, and dried distillers grain are currently utilized in animal feed, but they could be utilized in value-added products such as food packaging materials. This study determined the topographical properties and mechanical profiles of films made from arabinoxylan extracts of wheat bran, maize bran, and dried distillers grain with the addition of either glycerol or sorbitol as a plasticizing agent at one of three levels (10, 25, or 50%). The arabinoxylan was extracted from these starting materials via alkaline extraction and purified using α-amylase, protease, and dialysis. Film properties analyzed included surface topography, puncture resistance, tensile strength, and tear resistance. Topographical analysis showed that the films made with wheat bran arabinoxylan were the roughest. The puncture resistances ranged from 0.7 N (dried distillers grain arabinoxylan films plasticized by 10% sorbitol) to 10.1 N (wheat bran arabinoxylan films plasticized by 50% sorbitol). The highest maximum tensile strength was 29.3 MPa for films made with maize bran arabinoxylan plasticized by 10% glycerol. In addition, these arabinoxylan films had tear resistances ranging from 0.3 N (maize bran arabinoxylan films plasticized by 50% glycerol) to 1.9 N (wheat bran arabinoxylan films plasticized by 50% sorbitol). These material profiles provide information about the strengths and weaknesses of 18 novel materials that could serve as food packaging materials in the future.