Treatments of protein for biopolymer production in view of processability and physical properties: A review

The development of bio-based polymers from proteins has gained attention for their large availability and renewable and biodegradable nature. However, protein-based plastics have limited commercial applications because of several drawbacks, such as poor processability, brittleness, moisture sensitivity, and inferior mechanical and thermal properties. Extensive studies have been conducted to solve or ameliorate these issues by pretreatment or modification of proteins or protein-derived biopolymers before or during wet processing or dry processing at elevated temperatures. This review provides an overview of research efforts conducted in the area of physical and chemical treatment of proteins to achieve better processability, mechanical properties, and other physical performance based on a literature review in this subject.