A b s t r a c t. The aim of this work was to determine the
water vapour sorption properties of thermoplastic starch filling
foams processed by extrusion-cooking technique from various
combinations of potato starch and two foaming agents: poly(vinyl)
alcohol and Plastronfoam, in amount of 1, 2 and 3% each. Foams
were processed with the single screw extruder-cooker at two
different screw rotational speeds 100 and 130 r.p.m. The sorption isotherms of samples were determined and described using
the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer model. Also, the kinetics of
water vapour adsorption by foams, as a function of time, was
measured and fitted with Peleg model. On the basis of the analysis the influence of the applied foaming agents, as well as the
technological parameters of extrusion-cooking process in relation
to water vapour adsorption by thermoplastic starch foams was
demonstrated. There was no difference between the shapes of the
isotherms for poly(vinyl) alcohol foams while for Plastronfoam
foams a notable difference among foams extruded at 100 r.p.m.
was observed in the regions of low and high humidity content. The
analysis of the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer model parameters
showed that the water molecules were less strongly bound with
the foam surface when extruded at a lower screw speed