Bean glue
15 Jan 2000
The ubiquitous soya bean could soon be infiltrating a range of products away from the food shelves. According to research from Kansas State University, a protein found within the soya bean can be modified to produce a strong, water based adhesive.
Researcher Xiuzhi Susan Sun, who reported the work at the American Chemical Society's recent summer meeting in Boston, found that the soy protein molecule can be `unfolded' by chemical treatment so that all its hydrophopic amino acid groups come to the surface. This increases the adhesive's water resistance, while the unfolding itself boosts the molecule's surface area.
Currently, protein and polymer-based adhesives depend on the use of toxic phenyl formaldehyde to increase their adhesive strength, which they achieve by forming cross-links between the adhesive molecule chains.
