Graft copolymerization of ethylmethacrylate (EMA) onto soy protein concentrate (SPC) was carried-out using ascorbic acid/potassium persulphate as redox initiator under microwave radiations. Different reaction parameters like reaction time, solvent amount, initiator ratio, pH and monomer concentration were optimized to get maximum graft yield (78.8%). The graft copolymer formed was characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, TGA, DTA and DTG techniques. Graft copolymer showed higher moisture resistance along with increased chemical and thermal stability. TGA, DTA and DTG studies could reveal the distinctive features of graft copolymerization of EMA onto S-S linkages of soy protein concentrate under the influence of microwave irradiations in addition to grafting at peptide linkages, which were further supported by FT-IR studies.
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