APLIKASI POLIMER ZEIN DARI CORN GLUTEN MEAL SEBAGAI SENYAWA HIDROFOBIK PADA KAIN KAPAS

Research on biopolymers in the industrial field is increasing, along with attention to environmental problems. One of the interesting biopolymers is Zein, which is a prolamine protein obtained from corn flour. Zein is a hydrophobic biopolymer and has the ability to make films, has been used in the field of food technology as food packaging. In this research, zein was extracted from Corn Gluten Meal (CGM), a by-product of corn processing. Isolation of zein from CGM using 70% alcohol NaOH and NaHSO 3 for 2 hours at 60 o C produced 70.36% zein protein. The FT-IR spectrum of isolated zein showed absorption peaks at wave numbers 1690 cm -1 and 1490 cm -1 which were absorption peaks for amides I and II. The isolated zein was applied to cotton cloth using the pad-dry-cure method at 150 o C for 2 minutes, with various concentrations: 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 g/L. The results of the water drop test showed that an increase in the concentration of zein would result in a slower absorption time for cotton. Optimum results were chosen at a zein concentration of 100 g/L resulting in an absorption time of 325 seconds. Testing the contact angle of the zein-treated fabric with a concentration of 100 g/L has a contact angle of 128 o . This shows the fabric is hydrophobic. Zein polymer has the potential to be developed as a water repellent finishing agent in cotton fabrics