Poluri Nagireddy, Singer Creston, Salas-de la Cruz David, Hu Xiao
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 Aug 7;17(15):2161. doi: 10.3390/polym17152161.
This study investigates the structural and functional enhancement of corn zein-chitosan composites via mild alkaline treatment to develop biodegradable protein-polysaccharide materials for diverse applications. Films with varying zein-to-chitosan ratios were fabricated and characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both untreated and sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-treated films were evaluated to assess changes in physicochemical properties. FTIR analysis revealed that NaOH treatment promoted deprotonation of chitosan's amine groups, partial removal of ionic residues, and increased deacetylation, collectively enhancing hydrogen bonding and resulting in a denser molecular network. Simultaneously, partial unfolding of zein's α-helical structures improved conformational flexibility and strengthened interactions with chitosan. These molecular-level changes led to improved thermal stability, reduced degradation, and the development of porous microstructures. Controlled NaOH treatment thus provides an effective strategy to tailor the physicochemical properties of zein-chitosan composite films, supporting their potential in sustainable food packaging, wound healing, and drug delivery applications.
本研究通过温和的碱处理来研究玉米醇溶蛋白-壳聚糖复合材料的结构和功能增强，以开发用于各种应用的可生物降解蛋白质-多糖材料。制备了具有不同玉米醇溶蛋白与壳聚糖比例的薄膜，并使用傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、热重分析（TGA）、差示扫描量热法（DSC）和扫描电子显微镜（SEM）对其进行表征。对未处理和氢氧化钠（NaOH）处理的薄膜都进行了评估，以评估其物理化学性质的变化。FTIR分析表明，NaOH处理促进了壳聚糖胺基的去质子化、离子残基的部分去除以及脱乙酰化增加，共同增强了氢键作用并形成了更致密的分子网络。同时，玉米醇溶蛋白α-螺旋结构的部分展开提高了构象灵活性并加强了与壳聚糖的相互作用。这些分子水平的变化导致热稳定性提高、降解减少以及多孔微结构的形成。因此，可控的NaOH处理提供了一种有效策略来定制玉米醇溶蛋白-壳聚糖复合薄膜的物理化学性质，支持其在可持续食品包装、伤口愈合和药物递送应用中的潜力。
