The effects of cellulose nanocrystal and cellulose nanofiber on the properties of pumpkin starch-based composite films.

Pumpkin starch (PS) was extracted from Cucurbita maxima and utilized to prepare films in combination with cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) and cellulose nanofiber (CNF), using a solvent casting strategy. The PS was characterized to contain 26.6% of amylose, exhibiting a "B"-type crystalline structure and high stability against thermal degradation. PS/CNF films showed better thermal stability than PS/CNC films, whereas the CNC was more effective than CNF for enhancing the tensile strength (TS) of the films. The nanocomposite films containing 1% CNC showed the highest TS of 30.32 MPa. Fourier transform infrared spectra revealed stronger hydrogen bonding in the PS/CNC films, likely contributing to the observed high mechanical strength. CNC and CNF both decreased the transparency of PS films, by 5.2% and 13.1%, respectively. Overall, the properties of PS composite films can be effectively modified by incorporating CNC and CNF, as PS/CNC films with high mechanical strength and PS/CNF films with good thermal stability. Our results indicate that PS is a suitable material for CNC/CNF composite film fabrication. These films are expected to be especially useful in food packaging applications.

Thermal properties and free radicals generation in starch isolated from pumpkin fruits.

The selected thermal and rheological properties of pumpkin starches were compared with values evaluated for corn and potato starch. The pumpkin starches had lower pasting temperatures (by near 3°C and 24°C than potato or corn starch respectively), the peak viscosity (nearly 2300mPas lower than potato starch) and higher final viscosities (by 80-120mPas than those for potato starch and by 1700mPas in relation to corn starch). The thermal profile of pumpkin starches examined by the DSC method were quite similar to those of potato starch but lower than those of corn. The retrogradation degree of pumpkin starch was lower by 5-26% than that for corn or potato starches. The thermal treatment of starches led to the formation of radicals. Pumpkin starches were less susceptible to the formation of radicals than potato starch and had less about 0.3-1.3×1015radicals/g than potato starch.

Effect of conditions of modification on thermal and rheological properties of phosphorylated pumpkin starch.

This study aimed at analyzing the effect of conditions of modification process on thermal and rheological properties of phosphorylated pumpkin starch. The esterification process was conducted at 115°C and 145°C for 1, 2, and 3h. The thermodynamic properties of samples were determined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), flow curves were plotted and the resulting curves were described the Herschel-Bulkley model, textural properties were evaluated with the TPA method. The data proved that the chemical modification of starch affected its rheological and thermal characteristics, but the direction and extent of the changes were found to depend on both temperature and duration of phoshorylation. The results demonstrated that temperatures of gelatinization of the samples modified at 145°C were higher by 1.4-8.5°C than those of the samples obtained at 115°C. Prolongation of starch modification at 115°C caused reduction of shear stress (from 2.10Pa to 0.86Pa), and higher temperature of esterification also reduced the value of this parameter. The hardness of the samples heated at 145°C was higher by 45-59N than that of heated at 115°C. Adjustment of phosphorylation process caused an increase in gumminess by 1.8-37.9N, wherein higher temperature and process prolongation resulted in the highest gumminess.

Physicochemical properties of starches isolated from pumpkin compared with potato and corn starches.

The aim of the study was to characterize the selected physicochemical, thermal and rheological properties of pumpkin starches and compared with the properties of potato and corn starches used as control samples. Pumpkin starches could be used in the food industry as a free gluten starch. Better thermal and rheological properties could contribute to reduce the costs of food production. The syneresis of pumpkin starches was similar to that of potato starch but much lower than that for corn starch. Pasting temperatures of pumpkin starches were lower by 17-21.7°C and their final viscosities were over 1000cP higher than corn paste, but were close to the values obtained for potato starch. The thermodynamic characteristic showed that the transformation temperatures of pumpkin starches were lower than those measured for control starches. A level of retrogradation was much lower in pumpkin starch pastes (32-48%) than was in the case of corn (59%) or potato (77%) starches. The pumpkin starches gels were characterized by a much greater hardness, cohesiveness and chewiness, than potato or corn starches gels.