Yang Yiwen, Fu Jun, Duan Qingfei, Xie Huifang, Dong Xinyi, Yu Long
Institute of Chemistry, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
School of Material Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
Foods. 2024 Dec 13;13(24):4036. doi: 10.3390/foods13244036.
Starch films have attracted increasing attention due to their biodegradability, edibility, and potential use as animal feed from post-products. Applications of starch-based films include food packaging, coating, and medicine capsules. However, a major drawback of starch-based films is their brittleness, particularly under dry conditions, caused by starch retrogradation and the instability of plasticizers. To address this challenge, various strategies and methodologies have been developed, including plasticization, chemical modification, and physical reinforcement. This review covers fundamental aspects, such as the microstructures, phase transitions, and compatibility of starch, as well as application-oriented techniques, including processing methods, plasticizer selection, and chemical modifications. Plasticizers play a crucial role in developing starch-based materials, as they mitigate brittleness and improve processability. Given the abundance of hydroxyl groups in starch, the plasticizers used must also contain hydroxyl or polar groups for compatibility. Chemical modification, such as esterification and etherification, effectively prevents starch recrystallization. Reinforcements, particularly with nanocellulose, significantly improved the mechanical properties of starch film. Drawing upon both the literature and our expertise, this review not only summarizes the advancements in this field but also identifies the limitations of current technologies and outlines promising research directions for future development.
淀粉基薄膜因其生物可降解性、可食用性以及作为后产品动物饲料的潜在用途而受到越来越多的关注。淀粉基薄膜的应用包括食品包装、涂层和药囊。然而，淀粉基薄膜的一个主要缺点是其脆性，特别是在干燥条件下，这是由淀粉回生和增塑剂的不稳定性引起的。为应对这一挑战，已开发出各种策略和方法，包括增塑、化学改性和物理增强。本综述涵盖了淀粉的微观结构、相变和相容性等基础方面，以及面向应用的技术，包括加工方法、增塑剂选择和化学改性。增塑剂在淀粉基材料的开发中起着关键作用，因为它们可减轻脆性并改善加工性能。鉴于淀粉中羟基的丰富性，所使用的增塑剂也必须含有羟基或极性基团以实现相容性。化学改性，如酯化和醚化，可有效防止淀粉再结晶。增强材料，特别是纳米纤维素，显著改善了淀粉薄膜的机械性能。基于文献和我们的专业知识，本综述不仅总结了该领域的进展，还指出了当前技术的局限性，并概述了未来发展中前景广阔的研究方向。
