Protein fibrillation and hybridization with polysaccharides enhance strength, toughness, and gas selectivity of bioplastic packaging

Zhang, Yeyang; Nian, yingqun; Shi, Qixin; Hu, Bing

doi:10.1039/d3ta00446e

Cited by 14 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 59 publications

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“…The mechanical properties measured here are similar to those reported previously in other systems based on protein nanofibrils from other protein sources. [21][22][23]37 The soy-based film, however, has a lower tensile strength in both directions compared with the other materials, suggesting its suitability in those packaging applications that require high flexibility and elongation but not necessarily high mechanical strength.…”

Section: Bioplastic Film Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Soy Waste to Bioplastics: Industrial Proof of Concept

Bagnani,

Peydayesh,

Knapp

et al. 2024

Biomacromolecules

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The global plastic waste problem is pushing for the development of sustainable alternatives, encouraged by stringent regulations combined with increased environmental consciousness. In response, this study presents an industrial-scale proof of concept to produce self-standing, transparent, and flexible bioplastic films, offering a possible solution to plastic pollution and resource valorization. We achieve this by combining amyloid fibrils self-assembled from food waste with methylcellulose and glycerol. Specifically, soy whey and okara, two pivotal protein-rich byproducts of tofu manufacturing, emerge as sustainable and versatile precursors for amyloid fibril formation and bioplastic development. An exhaustive industrial-scale feasibility study involving the transformation of 500 L of soy whey into ∼1 km (27 kg) of bioplastic films underscores the potential of this technology. To extend the practicality of our approach, we further processed a running kilometer of film at the industrial scale into transparent windows for paper-based packaging. The mechanical properties and the water interactions of the novel film are tested and compared with those of commercially used plastic films. By pioneering the large-scale production of biodegradable bioplastics sourced from food byproducts, this work not only simultaneously addresses the dual challenges of plastic pollution and food waste but also practically demonstrates the feasibility of biopolymeric building block valorization for the development of sustainable materials in real-world scenarios.

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Section: Bioplastic Film Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Soy Waste to Bioplastics: Industrial Proof of Concept

Bagnani,

Peydayesh,

Knapp

et al. 2024

Biomacromolecules

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Functional Amyloids: The Biomaterials of Tomorrow?

Peña‐Díaz,

Olsen,

Wang

et al. 2024

Advanced Materials

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Functional amyloid (FAs), particularly the bacterial proteins CsgA and FapC, have many useful properties as biomaterials: high stability, efficient, and controllable formation of a single type of amyloid, easy availability as extracellular material in bacterial biofilm and flexible engineering to introduce new properties. CsgA in particular has already demonstrated its worth in hydrogels for stable gastrointestinal colonization and regenerative tissue engineering, cell‐specific drug release, water‐purification filters, and different biosensors. It also holds promise as catalytic amyloid; existing weak and unspecific activity can undoubtedly be improved by targeted engineering and benefit from the repetitive display of active sites on a surface. Unfortunately, FapC remains largely unexplored and no application is described so far. Since FapC shares many common features with CsgA, this opens the window to its development as a functional scaffold. The multiple imperfect repeats in CsgA and FapC form a platform to introduce novel properties, e.g., in connecting linkers of variable lengths. While exploitation of this potential is still at an early stage, particularly for FapC, a thorough understanding of their molecular properties will pave the way for multifunctional fibrils which can contribute toward solving many different societal challenges, ranging from CO2 fixation to hydrolysis of plastic nanoparticles.

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