STARCH FOILS AND/OR FILMS AND A METHOD AND USE OF A DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION THEREOF

• US 20120006226A1
• Filed: 03/03/2010
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InnoGEL AG
• Original Assignee: InnoGEL AG
• Inventors: Muller, Rolf, Innerebner, Federico
• Granted Patent: US 9,486,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 106/206.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/072 Sealing capsules, e.g. rendering them tamper-proof
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/074 Filling capsules; Related operations
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/077 Manufacturing capsule shells
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/4816 Wall or shell material
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/4833 Encapsulating processes; Filling of capsules mechanical aspects A61J3/07
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/4866 Organic macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2043/486 cooperating with rollers or drums
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/003 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/44 Compression means for making articles of indefinite length
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/48 Endless belts
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2003/00 Use of starch or derivatives as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/26 Natural polymers, natural resins or derivatives thereof according to C08L1/00 - C08L5/00, C08L89/00, C08L93/00, C08L97/00 or C08L99/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 3/00 Compositions of starch, amylose or amylopectin or of their derivatives or degradation products
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 3/02 Starch; Degradation products thereof, e.g. dextrin
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 3/04 Starch derivatives , e.g. crosslinked derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 3/08 Ethers

Abstract

A method for producing starch films comprises the following steps: preparing a mixture comprising starch and water, wherein more than 50 weight percent of the starch is present in the form of particles of granular starch; shaping the mixture to form a film in a shaping process; solidifying the mixture by increasing the temperature of the mixture during and/or after the shaping process by more than 5° C. Films produced by this method have starch particles bonded to one another. A device for performing this method comprises a shaping device for enabling shaping of the starch material to form a film, and has a heating device for performing a heat treatment for destructuring of the starch during and/or after the shaping.

Claims

1. A method for producing a foil and/or film based on starch, in particular a casting method wherein a mixture comprising starch, in which than 50 weight percent of the starch in the liquid phase is present as particles of granular starch, is shaped to form a film and during and/or after this shaping the mixture is solidified by an increase in temperature, in particular by more than 5°

C., by destructuring the granular starch,

wherein the granular starch is destructured at most up to stage 2.2, and wherein starch being destructured to stage 2.2 is defined in that 50-60% of the starch grains are no longer birefringent in a polarization microscope.

2. The method for producing a foil and/or film based on starch, in particular a casting method according to claim 1, comprising the following steps

preparing a mixture, comprising:

a) >

40 weight percent of the dry mixture, after subtracting the plasticizer, starch, wherein more than 50 weight percent of the starch in the liquid phase is present as particles of granular starch,

b) 0-70 weight percent of the dry mixture plasticizer,

c) 15-90 weight percent of the total mixture water,

d) optionally at most 50 weight percent of the dry mixture, after subtracting the plasticizer, thickener,

e) optionally conventional additives and adjuvants, and

f) at most 10 weight percent of the dry mixture, after subtracting the plasticizer, carrageen and carrageenans,

shaping the mixture to form a film in a shaping process,

solidifying the mixture by increasing the temperature of the mixture during and/or after the shaping process by more than 5°

C., and

optionally drying the film.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the mixture comprising starch in shaping to form a film has a dynamic viscosity of <

3000 Pas.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the water content of the mixture during the solidification is reduced by at most 25 weight percent.

6. A foil and/or film based on starch obtainable by the method according to claim 1 comprising:

a) >

40 weight percent of the dry film, after subtracting the plasticizer, starch,

b) 0-70 weight percent of the dry film plasticizer,

c) 0.1-50 weight percent of the total film water,

d) optionally at most 50 weight percent of the dry film, after subtracting the plasticizer, thickener,

e) optionally conventional additives and adjuvants, and

f) at most 10 weight percent of the dry film, after subtracting the plasticizer, carrageen and carrageenans,

wherein the film comprises starch particles bonded to one another, in particular particles of destructured starch bonded to one another.

7. The foil and/or film based on starch according to claim 6 wherein the film comprises a matrix of particles of destructured starch bonded to one another.

8. The foil and/or film based on starch according to claim 6 wherein the starch in the film amounts to at least 30%, which is present in the form of particles after dissolving the film for 30 min at 70°

C. and can be recovered by sedimentation.

9. The foil and/or film based on starch according to claim 6 wherein the molecular weight M_w2 of the starch is at least 500,000 g/mol.

10. Use of a foil and/or film comprising:

a) >

40 weight percent of the dry film, after subtracting the plasticizer, starch,

b) 0-70 weight percent of the dry film plasticizer, and

c) 0.1-50 weight percent of the total film water,

d) optionally at most 50 weight percent of the dry mixture, after subtracting the plasticizer, thickener,

e) optionally conventional additives and adjuvants, and

f) at most 10 weight percent of the dry mixture, after subtracting the plasticizer, carrageen and carrageenans,

wherein film comprises starch particles bonded to one another, in particular particles of destructured starch bonded to one another prepared by the method of claim 1 in the fields of gelatin replacement, packaging materials, in particular packaging materials that disintegrate in water, portion packagings, in particular of cleaning agents and perfumes, face masks, gummy candies.

11. Use of a device for producing foils and/or films based on starch by a method according to claim 1 wherein the device comprises:

a shaping device to enable shaping of a starch material to form a film,

a heating device to perform a heat treatment for destructuring of starch during and/or after the shaping.

12. The use according to claim 11 wherein the heating device comprises a rotating part of the process, in particular a heatable rotating drum, wherein the heatable rotating drum can be heated to a minimal temperature of at least 25°

C., preferably at least 50°

C., in particular.

13. The use according to claim 11 wherein the device comprises a means for regulating the water content of the film during and/or after the shaping.

14. The use according to claim 11 comprising a means for covering the starch material for at least 30% of the circumference of the rotating part of the process, in particular a belt revolving together with the rotating part of the process, revolving at the same angular velocity as the rotating part of the process.

15. The use according to claim 11 wherein the shaping device is a spreader box.

17. The method according to claim 2 wherein the mixture comprising starch in shaping to form a film has a dynamic viscosity of <

3000 Pas.

18. The method according to claim 2 wherein the water content of the mixture during the solidification is reduced by at most 25 weight percent.

19. The method according to claim 2 wherein the molecular weight of the starch is not significantly impaired and the M_w2/M_w1 quotient is >

0.3, where M_w1 is the weight-average molecular weight distribution of the starch used and M_w2 is the weight-average molecular weight distribution of the starch in the film produced.

20. A foil and/or film based on starch obtainable by the method according to claim 2 comprising

a) >

40 weight percent of the dry film, after subtracting the plasticizer, starch,

b) 0-70 weight percent of the dry film plasticizer, and

c) 0.1-50 weight percent of the total film water,

d) optionally at most 50 weight percent of the dry mixture, after subtracting the plasticizer, thickener,

e) optionally conventional additives and adjuvants, and

f) at most 10 weight percent of the dry mixture, after subtracting the plasticizer, carrageen and carrageenans,

wherein the film comprises starch particles bonded to one another, in particular particles of destructured starch bonded to one another.

21. The foil and/or film based on starch according to claim 20, characterized in that the film comprises a matrix of particles of destructured starch bonded to one another.

22. The foil and/or film based on starch according to claim 20 wherein the starch in the film amounts to at least 30%, which is present in the form of particles after dissolving the film for 30 min at 70°

C. and can be recovered by sedimentation.

23. The foil and/or film based on starch according to claim 20 wherein the molecular weight of the starch M_w2 is at least 500,000 g/mol.

24. Use of a foil and/or film based on starch comprising

a) >

40 weight percent of the dry film, after subtracting the plasticizer, starch,

b) 0-70 weight percent of the dry film plasticizer, and

c) 0.1-50 weight percent of the total film water,

d) optionally at most 50 weight percent of the dry mixture, after subtracting the plasticizer, thickener,

e) optionally conventional additives and adjuvants, and

f) at most 10 weight percent of the dry mixture, after subtracting the plasticizer, carrageen and carrageenans,

wherein the film comprises starch particles bonded to one another, in particular particles of destructured starch bonded to one another obtainable by the method according to claim 2 in the fields of gelatin replacement, packaging materials, in particular packaging materials that disintegrate in water, portion packagings, in particular of cleaning agents and perfumes, face masks, gummy candies.

25. Use of a device, for producing foils and/or films based on starch by a method according to claim 2 wherein the device

comprises a shaping device to enable shaping of a starch material, to form a film,

comprises a heating device to perform a heat treatment for destructuring of the starch during and/or after the shaping.

26. The use according to claim 25 wherein the heating device comprises a rotating part of the process, in particular a heatable rotating drum, wherein the heatable rotating drum can be heated to a minimal temperature of at least 25°

C., preferably at least 50°

C., in particular.

27. The use according to claim 25 wherein the device, comprises a means for regulating the water content of the film during and/or after the shaping.

28. The use according to claim 25 comprising a means for covering the starch material for at least 30% of the circumference of the rotating part of the process, in particular a belt revolving together with the rotating part of the process, revolving at the same angular velocity as the rotating part of the process.

29. The use according to claim 25 wherein the shaping device is a spreader box.

30. The method according to claim 2 wherein the mixture comprises 5-70 weight percent of the dry mixture plasticizer.

5. The method according to 1 wherein the molecular weight of the starch is not significantly impaired and the M_w2/M_w1 quotient is >

0.3, where M_w1 is the weight-average molecular weight, distribution of the starch used and the weight-average molecular weight distribution of the starch in the film produced.

16. (canceled)