Conference Abstract Book

Evmorfia Athanasopoulou 7 th International Conference of Food Science and Technology ❑ Valorization of by-products and residues from sericulture offers a promising pathway to develop biopolymer-based films and reduce the environmental impact of petroleum-derived materials. Conclusions ❑ Silk fibroin extracted from Bombyx mori cocoons was processed into hydrophilic films exhibiting moderate mechanical performance, low water solubility and excellent optical transparency. ❑ Strategies to improve mechanical properties of protein-based materials – blending with other polymers, chemical or enzymatic crosslinking, or surface modification. Material Tensile Strength (MPa) Young’s modulus (MPa) Elongation at break (%) WVTR LDPE 9,93 ± 0.3 6,06 ± 0,7 349,0 ± 9,6 31,5-59 (g × m -2 × day -1 ) x 10 -2 HDPE 27,93 ± 1,2 1,89 ± 0,3 213,1 ± 5,8 0,1-0,2 (g × m -2 × day -1 ) x 10 -2 Polystyrene 40 – 60 3,0-3,6 (GPa) 3- 4 2 – 2,5 (g × m -2 × day -1 ) Polypropylene 2000 1,1-1,5 (GPa) 200-600 7,8-15,7 (g × m -2 × day -1 ) x 10 -2 Fibroin 4,51 ± 0,24 2,76 ± 0,19 (GPa) 4,49 ± 0,14 46,86 ± 4,99 (g/h × m 2 )