06 Mar 2020 --- Converting cornstarch into a new class of material called amylose inclusion complex (AIC) has given life to food-safe and mosquito-repellent packaging. This research conducted at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) may bear the potential to improve essential packaging properties, such as reduced oxygen and water permeability, increased elongation as well as hydrophobicity by blending AIC polymers with polyvinyl alcohol or hydroxypropyl cellulose. Although food products containing cornstarch are already ubiquitous, this research presents a new avenue for cornstarch-based packaging materials through its pest control potential.
