Starch Modified With Chitosan and Reinforced With Feather Keratin Materials Produced by Extrusion Process: An Alternative to Starch Polymers

Abstract

Starch (potato), chitosan, and feather keratin are used for processing biodegradable films produced by extrusion. The morphology of the films is examined with a scanning electron microscope and showed the excellent dispersion of keratin. The dispersion is the result of compatibility between the polysaccharides and proteins, as well as the proper operation of the extrusion process. Water solubility of the starch-chitosan films decreased with an increase of keratin materials. The storage modulus increased up to 137% for the composites with unmodified ground quill, and by 192% for composites with modified ground quill. In a tensile test, the composites with unmodified and modified quill reached outstanding increments up to 8160 and 7250% in elastic modulus, respectively, compared to the matrix