Study of process parameters for starch, gluten, and glycerol mixtures

This work involved a study of the effect of processing variables (temperature, water content, rotor speed, and time) on the mechanical properties of starch:gluten:glycerol mixtures in the weight ratio of 40:40:20. The properties of the materials were affected by the processing variables. The torque decreased with water content, indicating that water facilitates the plasticization of mixtures, whereas the increase in temperature accelerated the evaporation of water, thus increasing the torque. Ultimate tensile strength was achieved at the lowest temperature (110 degrees C) and the highest water content (20%), whereas maximum elongation was achieved for the material processed at the highest temperature, 150 degrees C, and the fastest rotor speed, 70 rpm. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.