Bruna Wendt B\u00f6hmer-Maas; Laura Martins Fonseca; Francine Tavares da Silva; Guilherme Menegazzi; Deborah Murowaniecki Otero; Elder Pacheco da Cruz; Patr\u00edcia Silva Diaz; Elessandra da Rosa Zavareze; Rui Carlos Zambiazi<\/p>\n
This study aimed to fabricate and characterize fibers based on germinated and non-germinated wheat starches incorporated with titanium dioxide (TiO2<\/sub>). Fibers made from germinated wheat starch (20% and 30%, w\/v) and non-germinated wheat starch (20% and 30%, w\/v), encapsulated with TiO2<\/sub>\u00a0at concentrations of 0%, 3%, and 5% (w\/v), were fabricated by electrospinning. The polymeric solutions were evaluated for electrical conductivity and rheology. Fibers were characterized by morphology, size distribution, thermogravimetric analysis, and infrared spectra. The electrical conductivity of the polymeric solutions increased with TiO2<\/sub>\u00a0concentration. Rheological parameters showed non-Newtonian pseudoplastic behavior. The fibers exhibited homogeneous and cylindrical morphology. TiO2<\/sub>\u00a0addition reduced the diameter of the fibers compared to the fibers without this compound and altered their thermal stability. Infrared spectra indicated interactions between both starches and TiO2<\/sub>. The results demonstrate the feasibility of fabrication fibers from germinated and non-germinated wheat starches with similar amylose content (30.2% and 29.5%, respectively) incorporating TiO2<\/sub>, as they exhibited comparable behavior. This application could enhance the value of germinated wheat starch, which typically has low economic value. Further research is needed to explore these starch fibers for active food packaging applications as ethylene absorbers.<\/p>\n