Developing an environmentally
friendly soy protein-based film that
offers excellent performance has garnered considerable interest while
also posing a significant challenge. Herein, we propose the strategy
of covalent and noncovalent cross-linking to improve the mechanical
properties of the films. First, chemical denaturation was carried
out under the combined action of sodium sulfite, sodium dodecyl sulfate,
sodium hydroxide, and urea to reshape the structure of the protein
to improve the solubility of protein and release active groups. Then,
microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) derived from low-cost agro-industrial
byproducts (corn husk) was employed to balance the covalent cross-linking
reaction between proteins and the noncovalent reaction between MCC
and protein. The results indicate that the structure and properties
of the soy protein-based films were modified and improved through
chemical treatment in conjunction with biomass enhancement. It is
concluded that the addition of 1% MCC improves the tensile strength,
elastic modulus, water solubility, and water vapor permeability of
“MCC-1%” by 64.7, 75.9, 22.7, and 12.9%, respectively.
Additionally, the resulting film of “MCC-1%” exhibits
better resistance to thermal degradation and improved thermo-stability.
However, the elongation at break decreased by increasing the addition
of MCC. Thus, this work may provide a simple and affordable approach
to preparing a high-performing soy protein-based film.