Tensile Properties of Extruded Corn Protein Low‐Density Polyethylene Films

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Abstract
The strength of films extruded from powder blends of corn zein or corn gluten meal (CGM) with low‐density polyethylene was investigated. Tensile strength, percent elongation at break, and elastic modulus of the extruded films were measured. The tensile strength decreased from 13 MPa to ≈10.5 MPa with zein addition, while CGM addition resulted in tensile strength of ≈6 MPa. The higher the level of biological material (CGM or zein) in the films the lower the tensile properties. Films containing CGM exhibited significantly lower tensile properties than those containing zein. Extrusion processing of biological films is a step toward commercial viability.