How Do Arabinoxylan Films Interact with Water and Soil?

Abstract

Biodegradable materials made from cereal arabinoxylan could provide an alternative source of packaging to replace current nonbiodegradable plastics. The main purpose of this research was to determine how arabinoxylan (AX) films made from wheat bran (WB) AX, maize bran (MB) AX, and dried distillers grain (DDG) AX made with either glycerol or sorbitol at varying levels (10, 25 or 50%) interacts with soil and water. The biodegradability of all films ranged from 49.4% biodegradable (DDG AX with 10% sorbitol) to 67.7% biodegradable (MB AX with 50% glycerol). In addition, the MB AX films with 25% sorbitol had the lowest moisture content at 9.7%, the MB AX films with 10% glycerol had the highest water solubility at 95.6%, and the MB AX films with 50% glycerol had the highest water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) at 90.8 g h−1 m−2. Despite these extreme trends in the MB AX films, the WB AX films were the least hydrophilic on average while the DDG AX films were the most hydrophilic on average. The 18 materials developed in this research demonstrate varying affinities for water and biodegradation. These materials can be used for many different packaging materials, based on their unique characteristics.

Physical, Barrier, Mechanical, and Biodegradability Properties of Modified Starch Films with Nut By-Products Extracts

“…The biodegradability test consisted of measuring the C-CO 2 release by the soil microbiota, according to Anderson and Simsek [33], with slight modifications. The carbon (C) content was obtained using a Primacs TOC Analyzer (Model CS22, Skalar Inc, Buford, GA, USA).…”

Advances on the Valorisation and Functionalization of By-Products and Wastes from Cereal-Based Processing Industry

“…The incorporation of 0.2% of AXs or AX/AXOS into the chitosan matrix allows obtaining films with added potential functionalities in addition to those of chitosan, namely prebiotic and/or dietary fibre properties of AXOS and/or AXs, respectively [174]. Finally, the topographical and mechanical properties, as well as the biodegradability, of films consisting of AXs from wheat and maize bran and dried distiller's grains have been assessed, with promising results [175,176].…”

Improving Biodegradable Films from Corn Bran Arabinoxylan for Hydrophobic Material and Green Food Packaging

“…The improvement of profits for corn processing facilities means using AX obtained from the DCB, WCB, or DDGS to create food packaging materials, which could replace non-biodegradable plastics. However, films made from CB AX and DDGS AX with laccase and sorbitol are highly hydrophilic materials as opposed to the hydrophobic materials that are typically used for food packaging [ 9 , 10 ]. Therefore, lipase-aided surface modifications with vinyl acetate must be conducted to increase hydrophobicity of the AX films [ 11 ].…”

“…In order to maintain the moisture balance of specific foods, water interaction properties of AX films are also critical. Water interaction characteristics of AX films must be low, namely moisture content, water vapor transmission rate, and water solubility, for elongating the shelf life of the packaged foods [ 9 , 27 , 28 ]. In contrast, contact angle and biodegradability should be high for hydrophobic packaging materials which will rapidly degrade after use [ 9 , 19 , 25 ].…”