14A-24

M. N. RIAZ, Food Protein Research & Development Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2476 and M. E. BARRON, Food Protein R&D Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2476.

1. Justification: The recycling of waste has been a high priority for governments of all developed nations. Unfortunately, due to a lack of economic incentives and a feasible technology, there has been very little success in reducing waste. Present needs are to produce biodegradable material made from renewable, environmentally friendly biopolymers (e.g. starch, protein, and cellulose) from various agricultural source for food packaging applications. 2. Objectives: The objectives of this research are to: 1) explore the feasibility of the different starches for processing into biodegradable material; 2) to understand the physical, mechanical and rheological behavior of the packaging material. 3. Method: This work was conducted on a Wenger TX-52 co-rotating twin-screw extruder, with an L/D ratio of 16.5. All dry ingredients were pre-blended for a minimum of thirty minutes and fed directly into the extruder first zone using an Accu-Rate single screw metering system. Three screw profiles were evaluated, ranging from a low shear to a high shear design. 4. Results:It was clear from our experiments that low shear conditions produced loose fill which were both brittle and heavy, regardless of the type of starch used. Wheat, corn, and potato starches worked well in loose fill containing ~10% biodegradable polyester resin, resulting in low density, resilient products. Shear conditions and water levels varied, depending on the type of starch used. Corn starch required more shear than wheat to achieve good quality loose fill. 5. Significance: We expect that this will create new markets for the starches. It also helps to reduce volume of material going to landfills and result in less pollution.