Advances in Understanding the Molecular Structures and Functionalities of Biodegradable Zein-Based Materials Using Spectroscopic Techniques: A Review

Zein's amphiphilic properties, film forming capability, and biodegradability make it a highly demanded polymer for fabrication of packaging materials, production of drug carrier nanoparticles, scaffolds in tissue engineering, and formation of biodegradable platforms for biosensors including microfluidic devices. Zein properties can be improved by chemical modifications, which are often analyzed with spectroscopic techniques. However, there is not a consensus on the structure of zein. For this reason, in this Review the aim is to compile the recent studies conducted on zein-based products and compare them under five main spectroscopic techniques: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). This Review serves as a library of recent zein studies and helps readers to have a better perception of contradictions in the literature to take their studies one step further.