Correlation between elongation and foaming.

Abstract

<p>(A) Strain vs. stress curves for slabs elaborated from different cereal based materials. (B) Effect of different plasticizers on the strain at break of thermoplasticized slabs made from starch (TPS) and TPS/TPZ blends (Mix[TPZ&TPSy]). Plasticizers used were sorbitol/glycerol (red bars), and urea/formamide (blue bars). Mix[TPZ&TPSy] refers to a process in which starch is thermoplasticized with sg (sorbitol-glycerol) or uf (urea-formamide) and then blended with 20% thermoplasticized zein using PEG 400 as plasticizer. Error bars represent the standard deviations of at least 5 replicates. SEM micrographs of maize starch thermoplastics after CO₂ supercritical foaming: (C) TPSsg, and (D) TPSuf slabs at 3000X. SEM micrographs of thermoplasticized blends of zein and starch thermoplastics after CO₂ supercritical foaming: (E) Mix[TPZ&TPSsg], and (F) Mix[TPZ&TPSuf] slabs at (3000X).</p