Casein has been studied as biomaterial, and casein plastic goods were introduced at the beginning of the 20th century; the use of casein alone goes back to the Egyptians, who used it as fixative pigment for wall paintings. Although Casein can be readily be moulded into shape, it is still not a stable material for manufacture because of distortions in the material; due to these constraints, Casein plastic has only be used to produce sheets of plastic, button blanks, tubes, and similar products. Other disadvantages include poor resistance to acids and humid conditions, as well as technological hurdles such as the smell of sour milk. The goal of this project was to create a biodegradable plastic through the polymerization of Casein, and to possibly strengthen the mechanical properties of the plastic material through tensile strength testing, and possibly, erosion testing, while also recording the extent of biodegradability. To achieve the goals above, I divided the project in two distinct parts.

In the first part, I attempted to create modified casein films using a solution of Casein and maltodextrin, a polysaccharide used as a common food additive. The solution underwent Maillard reaction, so that the casein polymer could be reorganized and integrate the polysaccharide. In the time period needed for the solution to complete the Maillard reaction (8 hours at a range of 80-90 degree Celsius), I collected five samples (Ohr, 2nr, 4hr, 6hr, 8hr.) After being dialyzed and mixed with a buffer solution, the samples were evaluated through denaturing electrophoresis. The results show the presence of doublets in the Ghr and Bhr samples at the same point for each band, indicating the presence of two polypeptides that share the same amino acid sequence for the most part. Similar doublets are also visible in the 2hr sample and, although less distinctively, in the 4hr sample, at the same point as the 6hr and 8hr samples. Overall, the results suggested a high concentration of polypeptides in sample 6hr. After analyzing the gel, 1 created another casein solution changing the quantity of casein and adding glycerin to help make the material more plastic. Five sample were taken (20ml, 10ml, 5ml, 2ml, 1ml) and put in a vacuum oven for two weeks. Plastic films could not be created as the I did not have the right kind of equipment to dry the samples.

The second part of the project involved creating casein aerogels by first using DL-Glyceraldehyde and Sodium Montmorillonite clay, and later only Sodium Montmorillonite. A strong vacuum was used to sublime the water in the aerogels and form foamlike materials. Foam like materials, and then plastic films were created using the same process nut changing few variables, such as the amounts of GC and casein added. Tensile strength, hardness test, and biodegradability tests were conducted on the plastic sample. The tensile strength, hardness and resistance to acids of the plastic materials was increased, and the extent of biodegradation was verified; however, resistance to humid conditions was not improved.

In conclusion, the goal of the project was mostly achieved. In part one, a new polymer was created, and in part two, foam like materials and plastic materials were formed using a vacuum. The test conducted on the plastic materials clearly show improvements in the mechanical properties of the material, and suggest industrial applications, such as recycling "spoiled" milk by making it into biodegradable materials.