STUDY OF FILMS OF BLENDS OF GELATIN/WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE MODIFIED WITH CALCIUM STEARATE

• Grant number: 24/17470-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 07, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Marina Fernandes Cosate de Andrade
• Grantee: Pedro Arthur Lopes Saad Meirelles
• Supervisor: Markus Schmid
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Albstadt-Sigmaringen University, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/04967-8 - EVALUATION OF THE ADDITION OF CALCIUM STEARATE IN THE RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THERMOPLASTIC WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, BP.IC

Abstract

Proteins are an alternative among the class of renewable materials for purposes that includefilms and packaging. Accordingly, Thermoplastic Whey Protein Isolate (WPIT) and gelatin will beevaluated as potential inputs, to the detriment of obstacles such as processing and mechanicalresistance. Calcium stearate is a widely implemented additive in the plastics industry, ifcombined with WPIT, it could stabilize its electrostatic interactions and reduce its viscosity tomake blends with commercial polymers viable. The mixture of gelatin and WPIT can result in amaterial with higher mechanical strength and thermal stability than pure WPIT. Hence,gelatin/WPIT blends will be made in solution and its films will be manufactured by casting.Thus, this research internship is based on evaluating the rheological, barrier, and colorimetricproperties of the films of gelatin/WPIT blends at Albstadt-Sigmaringen University in Germany.The gelatin/WPIT films produced in Brazil will be evaluated, considering the requirements fortheir application in food packaging. The formulations 100% gelatin, 90% gelatin/10% WPIT, and70% gelatin/30% WPIT will be characterized by barrier properties with the attainment of oxygenpermeability rates, by rheological behavior using a parallel plate rheometer, and by colormeasurement via colorimeter and the yellowing index. The work recounted will enable thecomplementary development of the undergraduate research project of evaluation of therheological properties of WPIT with calcium stearate, which is in progress.