Packaging Edibles: New Challenges and Regulatory Aspects

Abstract

Packing of any food commodity is an intrinsic part, a resultant outcome of final finished good with enhanced shelf life and a perfect barrier to face the extrinsic factors of environment – physical, chemical and biological. The first and the foremost requirement of a packaging material is its quality of being food grade in nature. The material in use should be sound enough to bear mechanical, chemical or thermal stresses faced during the process of transportation. The best food grade packaging material used since times immemorial are different types of broad surfaced leaf, used in dried as well as fresh conditions. The restriction in using a leaf as a packaging material is – could not be sealed air tight to completely isolate it from the hassles of external environment. Development in packaging process leads to use of paper of various types from non-absorbing butter paper to sturdy kraft paper. Further progress gave new packaging material in food sector in the form of different types of plastic polymers which successfully covered the entire market. Later the negative outcomes of plastic polymers created burden on our environment because of its non-biodegradable nature and its entry into the ecosystem as well as living beings in the form of micro- and nanoparticles which created an alarm. Scientists and industry personnel started working on biodegradable packaging material. Biopolymers like polyester, starch-based polymers, starch-based polymers have replaced petrochemical-based plastic packaging material. Biopolymers, though compatible with the environment, need to be economical, act as characteristically strong barrier, heat insulator with good mechanical properties. Also, though biopolymers are compostable, still composting needs to be carried out religiously which also adds to greenhouse gases. So, a new alteration in packaging material innovated giving way to edible packaging material. With the idea of edible packaging material, the challenges associated still persists. The edible packaging material should be suitable to the type of food product and can be filled and sealed under any conditions. Pinholes and hairline cracks are a major issue in the development of edible packaging. The mechanical strength and brittleness of the material need to be checked for the development of standard packaging material of edible nature. Overall migration limit and specific migration limit though not a concern, but the new specification required is shelf life of packaging material so that the food product packed inside remains intact and fresh till end use.KeywordsPackaging processBiopolymersEdible packaging material