Researchers in China have developed a new method for “puffing” glutinous rice starch which produces a material with a water-absorbing nanotextured surface that might be exploited in oral pharmaceutical delivery and alternatively in the adhesives industry.
Glutinous rice starch is a well-known natural biopolymer widely used in the food industry as a raw material for cakes, dumplings, rice glue balls, and other food products. Its chemical character might readily be exploited in a range of environmentally benign and biodegradable non-food products, thanks to this new work.
Zhang, J-l., Yang, K. and Zhai, G-y. (2018) ‘Study on the preparation and properties of puffing glutinous rice starch’, Int. J. Nanomanufacturing, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp.219–231.