Construction and Properties of Hydroxypropyl Cassava Starch Hydrogel

Abstract:

In recent years, study on starch-based hydrogels has attracted much attention, however, the application of natural starch hydrogels is limited by their high brittleness and low tensile properties. This work aimed to improve the gel properties of starch by modifying cassava starch with hydroxypropyl. A hydrogel was constructed using the obtained hydroxypropyl cassava starch compounded with corn starch to exploring the hydrogel properties. The results showed that the enthalpy of cassava starch after hydroxypropylation decreased from 14.885 J/g to 7.780 J/g, the crystallinity decreased from 28.2% to 22.1%, while the tensile strain of its hydrogel increased from 320% to 550%. The tensile strain of compounded starch gel was also improved, greatly expanding its application in industry, agriculture, food and other fields.