Cornstarch complexed with a soybean oil component imparts water resistance to paper

Authors: Felker, Frederick; Fanta, George; Hay, William; Selling, Gordon

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/8/2017
Publication Date: 10/11/2017
Citation: Felker, F.C., Fanta, G.F., Hay, W.T., Selling, G.W. 2017. Cornstarch complexed with a soybean oil component imparts water resistance to paper [abstract]. American Association of Cereal Chemists International.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The increasing trend of using paper instead of plastic for many products for environmental and sustainability reasons has generated much interest new technologies for making paper water resistant. Most of the widely used methods and recent reports involve the use of non-biobased, synthetic materials or hazardous chemicals or processes for their application. The goal of this study was to demonstrate a green approach using cornstarch complexed with fatty amines, which are produced from vegetable oils, to impart water resistance to untreated cellulose paper. Amylose inclusion complexes were prepared from steam jet-cooked high amylose cornstarch and solutions of hexadecyl- and octadecylammonium chloride. The complexes were applied to paper at concentrations of 2-4% by passing the solution through the paper in a Buchner funnel. After drying the papers, a sodium hydroxide solution was applied to convert the complexes to the insoluble amine form, rendering the paper hydrophobic. SEM showed that the complexes were uniformly deposited onto the paper with no visible particles. Iodine vapor staining showed that the starch complexes were equally present on both upper and lower paper surfaces, indicating adsorption of the complex was not restricted to the top surface. Increased resistance of papers to water penetration was indicated by an increase in the contact angles of water droplets from not measurable to as much as 113°, and by longer times for total absorption of the droplets. Treated papers also absorbed less water than untreated papers, with the C16 amylose-hexadecylammonium chloride complex providing the greatest water resistance (81.2% less water absorbed than untreated paper). Water resistance was also evident on untreated cotton fabric treated with the complex. This green technology is potentially scalable for industrial production and could provide a new market for corn starch and a soybean oil derivative.