ARS | Publication request: APPLICATION OF HYDROPHILIC STARCH-BASED COATINGS TO POLYETHYLNE SURFACES

Submitted to: American Association of Cereal Chemists Meetings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: October 8, 2007
Publication Date: October 8, 2007
Citation: Felker, F.C., Patil, D.R., Fanta, G.F., Salch, J. 2007. Application of hydrophilic starch-based coatings to polyethylne surfaces [abstract]. American Association of Cereal Chemists Meetings. Cereal Foods World. 52:A40.

Technical Abstract: Methods for imparting hydrophilic surface properties to hydrophobic plastics are of interest because of their ability to retard the build-up of static electricity, to alter friction and adhesion properties between surfaces, to allow surfaces to be printed with water-based dyes and inks, and to improve the compatibility of surfaces with biological fluids. This study describes the application by spraying of formulations prepared from an aqueous dispersion of jet cooked cornstarch (JCC), a water-born epoxy resin (ER), a wax emulsion (WE), a fluorinated surfactant (FS), and a melamine/formaldehyde resin that was added in some experiments as a crosslinking agent (CA) for starch. The starch component of air-dried sprayed films containing JCC, ER, WE, and FS readily washed off with water after 1 min. Heating the films at 80 deg C for 24 h increased the starch adhesion such that gently rubbing the wet film was required to remove the starch. If the CA was added to the spray formulation and the film was heated for 24 h at 80 deg C, most of the starch remained bonded to the wet coating, even after gentle rubbing. The interactions of the formulation components were investigated by microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. By optimizing the specific ingredients as well as the spraying technique and subsequent heat treatment, starch-based film properties could be tailored to various commercial applications.