Faba bean is a promising alternative to soybean for production of protein-rich plant-based foods. Increased understanding of the gelling behaviour of non-soy legumes can facilitate development of novel plant-based foods based on other legumes, such as faba bean. A mixture design was used in this study to evaluate the effect of different proportions of protein, starch and fibre fractions extracted from faba beans on gelation properties, texture and microstructure of the resulting gels. Large deformation properties, in terms of fracture stress and fracture strain, decreased as fibre and/or starch replaced protein. In contrast, Young's modulus and storage modulus increased with substitution of the protein. Light microscopy revealed that for all gels, protein remained the continuous phase within the region studied (65–100% protein fraction, 0–35% starch fraction, 0–10% fibre fraction in total flour added). Swollen and deformed starch granules were distributed throughout the mixed gels with added starch. Leaked amylose aggregated on starch and fibre surfaces and in small cavities (<1 μm) throughout the protein network. No clear difference between samples in protein network structure was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The reduction in large deformation properties was tentatively attributed to inhomogeneities created by the added starch and fibre. The increase in small deformation properties was hypothesised to be affected by water adsorption and moisture stability through the starch and fibre, increasing the effective protein concentration in the surrounding matrix and enhancing the protein network, or potentially by starch granules and fibre particles acting as active fillers reinforcing the gel structure. © 2022 The Authors
This work was done to improve the interfacial adhesion and engineering performance of polyvinyl alcohol/polylactic acid laminate film by altering the polyvinyl alcohol phase surface properties via incorporating microfibrillated cellulose modified by propionylation. Incorporating the modified microfibrillated cellulose into polyvinyl alcohol film improved adhesion between film layers during the laminating process. Improved peel strength and tensile properties confirmed that modified microfibrillated cellulose can produce better bonding between polyvinyl alcohol and polylactic acid via mechanical interlocking and cohesive forces at the film interface. Modified microfibrillated cellulose (3 wt%) increased the peel strength by 40% comparing with the neat polyvinyl alcohol/polylactic acid laminate film.The reduction of both moisture absorption and diffusion rate of the modified microfibrillated cellulose–polyvinyl alcohol/polylactic acid to 20 and 23%, respectively, also indicated that the modified microfibrillated cellulose could inhibit moisture permeation across the film. This was because the modified microfibrillated cellulose is hydrophobic. Furthermore, the addition of modified microfibrillated cellulose also increased the decomposition temperature of the laminate film up to 10% as observed at 20% of remaining weight, while the storage modulus substantially increasing to 72% relative to the neat laminate film.The superior interfacial adhesion between the polylactic acid and modified microfibrillated cellulose–polyvinyl alcohol layers, observed by scanning electron microscopy, confirmed the improved compatibility between the polyvinyl alcohol and polylactic acid phases. © The Author(s) 2020.
Optimized superhydrophobic and self-cleaning nanocomposite surfaces were obtained by spraying surface modified ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) onto PDMS, using octadecylphosphonic acid and octadecanethiol as hydrophobic modifiers. In this study, it is the first time to our knowledge that surface parameters such as topography, morphology, superhydrophobicity, and self-cleaning are correlated to particle surface distribution and agglomeration parameters obtained by image analysis. The topography, morphology, and wettability of the surfaces were analyzed using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, static contact angle (SCA), and contact angle hysteresis measurements. Image analysis was performed using the new enhanced graphical user interface of a previously self-developed Matlab® algorithm. Both hydrophobization methodologies increased the NPs’ surface coverage and the hierarchical rough structure formation on the substrates, resulting in more homogenous superhydrophobic self-cleaning surfaces. A higher coated fraction and lower degree of interconnected uncoated PDMS paths are correlated to an increase in SCA. The combination of a higher agglomerates fraction, lower agglomerate radius, and lower distance between agglomerates obtained for the surfaces with hydrophobized ZnO-NPs rendered self-cleaning surfaces. The observed correlations increase the understanding of the design and modelling of superhydrophobic self-cleaning PDMS/ZnO nanocomposite surfaces for use in high voltage outdoor insulators.
In the present work, faba bean protein (FBP) films plasticized with glycerol and reinforced with different amounts (2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10% by weight of FBP) of lignin extracted from pine cones (PL) have been obtained by solution casting. The results obtained showed an elongation at break of 111.7% with the addition of 5% PL to the FBP film, which represents an increase of 107% compared to the FBP control film. On the other hand, it was observed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) that the incorporation of lignin improved the thermal stability of the FBP film, leading to an increase in the protein degradation temperature, being this increase higher in the sample film reinforced with 10% PL. The barrier properties of the FBP films were also affected by the presence of lignin, leading to a decrease in water vapor permeability (WVP) in comparison to the unreinforced film. The results show that the sample reinforced with 2.5% PL had the lowest WVP value, with a reduction of 25% compared to the control film. Chemical analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the formation of intramolecular interactions between lignin and proteins which, together with the inherent hydrophobicity of lignin, resulted in a decrease of the moisture content in the films reinforced with PL. This research work has allowed the development of biobased and biodegradable films with attractive properties that could be of potential use in sectors such as packaging. © 2022 The Authors
In the present work, transparent films were obtained by the solution casting method from faba bean protein isolate (FBP), reinforced with different cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) content (1, 3, 5 and 7 wt%), obtained by acid hydrolysis of pine cone, and using glycerol as plasticizer. The influence of different CNCs loadings on the mechanical, thermal, barrier, optical, and morphological properties was discussed. Microstructurally, the FTIR and FESEM results corroborated the formation of intramolecular interactions between the CNCs and proteins that lead to more compact and homogeneous films. These interactions had a positive influence on the mechanical strength properties, which is reflected in higher tensile strength and Young's modulus in reinforced films with respect to the control film, resulting in stiffer films as the CNCs content increases. Thermal stability of the FBP films was also improved with the presence of CNCs, by increasing the characteristic onset degradation temperature. In addition, the linkages formed between the CNCs, and proteins reduced the water affinity of the reinforced films, leading to a reduction in their moisture content and water solubility, and an increase in their water contact angle, obtaining more hydrophobic films as the CNCs content in the matrix increased. The addition of CNCs in the FBP film also considerably improved its barrier properties, reducing its water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) and oxygen transmission rate (OTR). The present work shows the possibility of obtaining biobased and biodegradable films of CNC-reinforced FBP with improved mechanical, thermal and barrier properties, and low water susceptibility, which can be of great interest in the food packaging sector as edible food packaging material.
A rapeseed straw biorefinery process was demonstrated with more than 50% of the straw recovered as products. Xylan with a weight-average molecular weight of 56 760 g/mol was extracted in an alkaline step. The straw residue was subjected to soda pulping, resulting in cellulose-rich fibers and a lignin-rich liquid fraction. The lignin contained syringyl and guaiacyl aromatic structural units in a 1/0.75 ratio. The cellulose pulp was bleached, resulting in a cellulose fraction of 85% purity and a crystallinity index (CI) of 83%. Two grades of nanocellulose, CNF and CNC, were isolated from the bleached pulp. The CNF was very heterogeneous in size with an average diameter of 4 nm and an average length of 1177 nm. The CNC had an average diameter of 6 nm and an average particle length of 193 nm. CNF and CNC had good thermal stability and an aspect ratio of 294 and 32, respectively.
An eco-friendly strategy for the modification of polylactic acid (PLA) surface properties, using a solvent-free process, is reported. Reactive extrusion (REX) allowed the formation of new covalent bonds between functional molecules and the PLA polymeric matrix, enhancing its mechanical properties and modifying surface hydrophobicity. To this end, the PLA backbone was modified using two alkoxysilanes, phenyltriethoxysilane and N-octyltriethoxysilane. The reactive extrusion process was carried out under mild conditions, using melting temperatures between 150 and 180 °C, 300 rpm as screw speed, and a feeding rate of 3 kg·h−1. To complete the study, flat tapes of neat and functionalized PLA were obtained through monofilament melt extrusion to quantify the enhancement of mechanical properties and hydrophobicity. The results verified that PLA modified with 3 wt% of N-octyltriethoxysilane improves mechanical and thermal properties, reaching Young’s modulus values of 4.8 GPa, and PLA hydrophobic behavior, with values of water contact angle shifting from 68.6° to 82.2°.
In this paper, for the first time, it is studied the synergetic properties of two different grades of nanocelluloses with different chemical compositions (cellulose nanofibrils-CNF with less than 1% of lignin and lignocellulose nanofibrils-LCNF with 16% of lignin). CNF and LCNF were mixed in different ratios to obtain bi-component films. Their performance in terms of transparency, bioactivity, thermo-mechanical and gas barrier properties was evaluated and compared with the performance of the neat CNF films. The presence of LCNF in the formulations conferred antioxidant and UV blocking properties to the films, as well as improved mechanical and barrier properties. Specifically, the incorporation of 25% LCNF to the CNF films increased the mechanical properties (94% increase in tensile stress and a 414% increase in strain at break) and decreased the water vapor transmission rate by 16% and the oxygen transmission rate by 53%. This performance improvement was attributed to the coexistence of nanocelluloses with different chemical composition and morphology. LCNF contributed to increment the interfacial adhesion between cellulose nanofibrils due to the presence of lignin and promote the creation of more tortuous paths for gas molecules. These synergetic properties shown by the CNF/LCNF bi-component films demonstrate high potential to be used as gas barrier packaging solutions. © 2022 The Authors