The impact of the amount of durum wheat bran additive used on the selected structural, mechanical, and spectroscopic properties of thermoplastic starch moldings was examined in this study. Bran was added to corn starch from 10 to 60% by weight in the blends. Four temperature settings were used for the high-pressure injection: 120, 140, 160, and 180 °C. The highest value of elongation at break (8.53%) was observed for moldings containing 60% bran. Moreover, for these moldings, the tensile strength and flexural strength were lower (appropriately 3.43 MPa and 27.14 MPa). The highest deformation at break (1.56%) were obtained for samples with 60% bran and injection molded at 180 °C. We saw that higher bran content (50 and 60%) and a higher injection molding temperature (160 °C and 180 °C) significantly changed the color of the samples. The most significant changes in the FTIR spectra were observed at 3292 and 1644 cm-1 and in the region of 1460-1240 cm-1. Moreover, notable changes were observed in the intensity ratio of bands at 1015 and 955 cm-1. The changes observed correspond well with the amount of additive used and with the injection temperature applied; thus it may be considered as a marker of interactions affecting plasticization of the material obtained.
Keywords: ATR/FTIR spectroscopy; color profile; durum wheat bran; extrusion cooking; mechanical and structural properties; thermoplastic starch moldings.