Much of
this research has looked to capitalize on the protein's versatility as a
structurant in a variety of systems. Such efforts include using zein
as a possible wheat substitute in gluten-free dough systems
(Lawton, 1992), as biocompatible scaffolds to aid in hard tissue
repair and regeneration (Gong et al., 2006), and in various film and
coating applications for food and biomaterial systems