INTRODUCTION
As part of an effort to develop a recyclable waxed
paper product, we reported on the enzyme hydrolysis
of zein-wax coated paper (Parris et al., 1998). We
demonstrated that after treatment with R-chymotrypsin,
the coating could be cleanly separated from the
paper fibers by conventional pulping techniques. Adoption
of this new technology, however, is severely limited,
primarily because of the high cost of commercial zein.
Dickey et al. (1999) have reported on the isolation of
zein proteins from dry-milled corn. The proteins were
less denatured and the projected cost was lower than
commercial zein preparations from corn gluten.
In this study, an inexpensive zein-lipid mixture was
isolated from dry-milled corn. Grease resistance and
water barrier properties of brown Kraft paper coated
with this zein isolate were examined as a function of
coating level, method of application and time of exposure.
Conditions required for various enzymes to cleanly
separate the coating from the paper fibers were also
investigated.