Maillard reaction in natural rubber latex: Improvement of concentration process

ABSTRACT Maillard reaction in natural rubber (NR) latex was studied by treating fresh latex with formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde. Volatile fatty acid number of the treated latex could be lower than acceptable limit (< 0.08) for more than 20 days. Attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the occurrence of protein crosslinks in the treated latex. NR treated with glutaraldehyde has much higher nitrogen content than NR treated with formaldehyde and untreated NR, respectively. Colloidal stability of rubber particles, represented by pH, zeta potential, viscosity, and particle size distribution information, were unchanged after treating the latex with formaldehyde. Treatment of the fresh latex with glutaraldehyde 100 and 200 mmol/kg of latex led to the aggregation of rubber particles. Interestingly, the Maillard crosslinking of proteins in fresh latex could efficiently promote the transfer of rubber particles from the serum phase into the cream phase during centrifugation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45224.