Sara Aquilia

University of Florence, Italy

Development of Cross-linked Protein-based Materials from vegetable sources

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Biography

Sara Aquilia received her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Material Chemistry with final grade of 105/110 in 2018 at University of Bologna, Italy. She then received her master’s degree in chemistry with honors in 2021 at the University of Bologna, Italy. She carried out the curricular internship at the Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie of Bordeaux, France. Afterwards, she moved to Padua to join the group of Prof. Formaggio at University of Padua, where she worked as research fellow from June 2021 to December 2021. She is now a PhD student in Chemical Science at University of Florence, Italy, working in collaboration with the company SpinPet on the development of macromolecular and cross-linked materials based on proteins/peptides from vegetable or animal source.

Abstract

Petrol-based polymers are widely used in the production of both common and high added value products, due to their exceptional properties, versatility, and low price. However, their uncontrolled disposal and extremely low degradability have resulted in one of the most serious environmental problems of the last two centuries. Therefore, in recent years there has been a rising interest in the development of polymeric materials based on natural biopolymers as a renewable alternative to petrol-based plastics1. The availability of proteins from agricultural by-products and their favorable properties fostered a renewed interest in protein-based materials, fueling research in innovative technologies for the preparation of bioplastics2. The presented study is the first step toward the development of a protein-based material for multiple applications. Proteins from rapeseed meal have been chosen as first candidates for our bioplastics main ingredient. Rapeseed meal samples were collected as a by-product from the crude oil production after the oil pressing and hexane extraction process3. The proposed protein extraction process is ecofriendly, easy to scale up, and lead to the production of two protein isolates with good protein recovery yield. Further, the rapeseed meal was processed by pression molding and chemical reactions have been performed to form cross-links between protein chains in order to modulate the material thermo-mechanical properties. In addition, the enzymatic hydrolysis of rapeseed protein isolates and rapeseed meal lead to hydrolysates that will be employed as additives in protein-rich materials with the goal to obtain a fully sustainable material. The achieved results will contribute to the green transition achieving the goals of the European Green Deal.