PROPERTIES OF CASTING FILMS FROM NATIVE AND CHEMICALLY-MODIFIED STARCHES

Starch acetates and hexanoates were prepared from potato, wrinkled pea, and amylomaize starch of low and high degrees of substitution (DS=0.1-2.8). These products were used as raw materials for film casting in a laboratory scale. The objective of this work was to study the influence of starch types and derivatisations on film properties, i.e. tensile strength and elongation as well as water absorption and solubility. After the addition of softeners transparent, flexible, and water soluble films were obtained from unsubstituted and partially substituted starches, while totally substituted starch derivatives (triacetates and hexanoates) resulted in films insoluble in water. The well-known amylose advantage of film casting was found only after derivatisation. In the case of wrinkled pea and amylomaize starch considerable improvements of mechanical film properties, both tensile strength and elongation, were achieved even at low degrees of substitution.