Obtention and characterization a vacuum-dried starch aerogel-type biomaterial from A98 rice (Oryza sativa)

In this work, aerogels were obtained by vacuum drying, an uncommon method that requires lower energy costs and creates materials with high porosity and small pore size. Starch from A98 rice was used, evaluating different concentrations (8, 10, and 12%) and retrogradation times (2, 4, and 6 days). The aerogels were characterized by analysis in a scanning electron microscope, in a Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer and differential scanning calorimetry. Importantly, the retrogradation time showed no apparent significant changes in the formulation of the materials, and those created at a concentration of 10% presented a crystalline and amorphous reorganization. They were more homogeneous than the rest of the formulations while their pores measured 41 nm. Aerogels formulated with 8% presented higher swelling and water absorption but reduced solubility. The aerogels reported in this work show promising characteristics and the drying technique opens the doors to a more practical method that deserves further research.