Nahla A El-Wakil
National Research Centre, Egypt
Title: Comparative study of enzymatic and chemical denaturation of wheat gluten and their cellulosic nanocomposites
Biography
Biography: Nahla A El-Wakil
Abstract
Nano celluloses derived from agricultural wastes have promises to improve the mechanical and barrier properties of nano composites that can be further improved by addition of inorganic filler which impart antimicrobial activity beside enhanced mechanical properties to the nano composites. In this work, enzymatic denaturation of wheat gluten was performed using Alcalase enzyme to improve the solubility and processibility of wheat gluten. The variables used in this step are enzyme dose (0.5, 1, 2%) based on wheat gluten and time (2, 4, 6, 8, 24 hours). No significant difference in protein solubility was observed under these conditions, so 0.5% enzyme dose was used for the preparation of the studied films. The denatured wheat gluten was filled with nano fibrillated cellulose (NFC) and TiO2. The resultant films were tested in terms of tensile strength and contact angle measurements. Also, the morphology of the tested films was studied. The mechanical testing showed relatively low results when compared to chemically denatured films. Water resistance of the nano composites expressed in contact angle measurements as a non-destructive method was deteriorated.
