Modified wheat glutens and use thereof in fabrication of films

US5965708A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Midwest Grain Products · US

Inventors

• Sukh Bassi · Atchison, US
• Clodualdo C. Maningat · Platte City, US
• Rangaswamy Chinnaswamy · Kansas City, US
• Li Nie · Kansas City, US
• Michael K. Weibel · Redding, US
• John J. Watson · Canyon, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 11, 1997
• Grant date: Oct 12, 1999
• Expiry date: Mar 11, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A23P20/20
• WIPO field: Food chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Gluten protein-based biodegradable or edible films are produced using aqueous, essentially alcohol-free casting dispersions containing modified protein (preferably wheat gluten protein) and a plasticizer. The modified protein is prepared by treating purified naturally occurring wheat protein with a reducing agent (e.g., sodium metabisulfite) in order to reduce the average molecular weight of the wheat protein and to cleave disulfide bonds therein. Such modified wheat gluten protein lowers the viscosity and allows increased solid contents in the casting dispersions, allowing fabrication of improved films using continuous casting techniques and without use of organic solvents.