Starch and poly (ethlene-co-acrylic acid) pastes and gels, and method for their making

摘要

Aqueous ambient temperature pastes and gels of starch and poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) are disclosed containing starch in an amount from about 2.5% to about 10%, by weight, of the paste or gel, and poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) in an amount from about 0.5% to about 20%, by weight, of the starch, the poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) content being sufficient to provide aqueous ambient temperature pastes having higher viscosities than the same ambient temperature pastes without poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) and to provide aqueous ambient temperature gels having different gel strengths from the same ambient temperature gels without poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid). These pastes and gels are prepared by a method in which a starch and poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) mixture in an aqueous medium is cooked, preferably by steam-jet cooking, and the resulting starch-poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) solution/dispersion is cooled to ambient temperature with water retained in the solution/dispersion.