Publication no. C-1997-0820-02R |  VIEW ARTICLE

Production of Textile Fibers from Zein and a Soy Protein-Zein Blend (1).

Menglin Zhang (2), Cheryll A. Reitmeier (3,4), Earl G. Hammond (3), and Deland J. Myers (3). (1) Journal Paper J-16962 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, IA. Project 3084. Supported by Hatch Act and State of Iowa funds. (2) Armour Swift-Eckrich, 410 Kirk Road, Saint Charles, IL 60174. (3) Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and Center for Crops Utilization Research, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011. (4) Corresponding author. E-mail: <creitmei@iastate.edu> Cereal Chem. 74(5):594-598. Accepted May 14, 1997. Copyright 1997 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc.

Zein fibers were successfully prepared by a wet-spinning technique from a zein suspension formulated with 15% zein, 60% water, 22% 0.4N sodium hydroxide, and 3% urea by weight. Tenacities were measured with an Instron machine, and flexibility was determined by noting the smallest diameter rod around which a fiber could be looped without breaking. After spinning, the tenacity of the zein fibers was improved by modification with several agents: acetic anhydride for acetylation, glutaraldehyde, and dialcohols for cross-linking and physical stretching. The tenacity and flexibility of the fibers were measured at 11, 65, and 100% rh. Untreated fibers had tenacities of 3.41, 2.65, and 0.17 g/tex at 11, 65, and 100% rh, respectively. A combination of chemical treatments (20% glutaraldehyde and 95% acetic anhydride) and 115% stretching increased tenacities to 6.89. 6.56, and 1.17 g/tex at 11, 65, and 100% rh, respectively. Control zein fibers had flexibilities of 5 and 2.5 mm at 11 and 65% rh, respectively, whereas the treated fibers had flexibilities of 1.5 mm at both humidities. Extrusion of zein fibers was not successful. Zein-soy protein mixture could be extruded, but properties of wet-spun fibers of zein-soy blends were not much improved over those of soy protein alone. The tenacity of blended soy protein-zein fibers was greater than that of soy protein fibers at 11% rh.