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Porous Thermoformed Protein Bioblends as Degradable Absorbent Alternatives in Sanitary Materials

[Image: see text] Protein-based porous absorbent structures can be processed and assembled into configurations suitable for single-use, biodegradable sanitary materials. In this work, a formulation based on a mixture of proteins available as industrial coproducts is processed into continuous porous...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Jugé, Agnès, Moreno-Villafranca, Jeannine, Perez-Puyana, Victor M., Jiménez-Rosado, Mercedes, Sabino, Marcos, Capezza, Antonio J.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: American Chemical Society 2023
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10497054/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37705711
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.3c01027
Descripción
Sumario:[Image: see text] Protein-based porous absorbent structures can be processed and assembled into configurations suitable for single-use, biodegradable sanitary materials. In this work, a formulation based on a mixture of proteins available as industrial coproducts is processed into continuous porous structures using extrusion and assembled using conventional thermal methods. The experimental design led to formulations solely based on zein-gluten protein bioblends that could be manufactured as liquid absorbent pellets, compressed pads, and/or porous films. The processing versatility is attributed to the synergistic effect of zein as a low viscosity thermoformable protein with gluten as a readily cross-linkable high molecular weight protein. The capillary-driven sorption, the biodegradability of the materials, and the possibility to assemble the products as multilayer components provide excellent performance indicators for their use as microplastic-free absorbents. This work shows the potential of biopolymers for manufacturing sustainable alternatives to current nonbiodegradable and highly polluting disposable items such as pads and diapers.