Bio-based Food Packaging Research Articles

Plastic waste management, a matter for the 'community'.

Plastic waste management, a matter for the 'community'.

Evaluation of the functionality of bio-based food packaging films

The importance of bio-based food packaging films is increasing rapidly. The functionality of selected representative bio-based compostable food packaging films was investigated against that of conventional films. The evaluation of the functionality of food packaging films was based on testing their performance with respect to critical mechanical and other functional properties. Differences were identified in the performance among various bio-based materials and when compared to conventional films with respect to specific functional properties, including sensitivity of tensile properties to critical packaging conditions, reliability issues concerning tear propagation measurements, nonlinear response to penetration. The total transmittance values of bio-based packaging films with high haze values were found to vary with the wavelength while their water vapour and gas transmission rates vary significantly. Adaptations are proposed for some of the test methods to be applicable also to bio-based films. The overall functionality of the bio-based films was found to be satisfactory. The mechanical and other functional characteristics of the bio-based food packaging films offer new design possibilities for targeted food packaging applications.

Controlled release of carvacrol and curcumin: bio-based food packaging by synergism action of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanocrystals and cyclodextrin

Oxidized cellulose nanocrystals with sodium carboxylate groups (TOCNC-COONa) and with free carboxyl groups (TOCN-COOH) were prepared and then chemically modified with beta-cyclodextrin (βCD) and hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) to prepare materials able to load and release antibacterial molecules over a prolonged period of time. The materials were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, and the CD content of modified TOCNCs determined by phenolphthalein colorimetry. The extent of grafting was also assessed by QCM-D and microscopy was used to ascertain and compare the morphology of both TOCNC-COONa/HPβCD and TOCNC-COOH/HPβCD. Then, carvacrol and curcumin were entrapped by the attached HPβCD and their prolonged release confirmed, as compared to neat material. The combined effects of HPβCD and carvacrol on the antimicrobial properties of TOCNC-COOH films were finally evaluated.

Activity of chitosan films enriched with the essential oil of Alpinia malaccensis rhizome against S. aureus, E. coli and C. Musae

In this paper, the in vitro antimicrobial activity of Alpinia malaccensis rhizome oil was investigated in its pure form and incorporated into chitosan films, against Colletotrichum musae, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Dry rhizome oil of A. malaccensis was extracted using steam distillation. Chitosan films enriched with the oil were prepared by casting as a potential bio-based food packaging film. The major constituent of A. malaccensis oil was identified as 1,8-cineole by GC-MS. The antifungal activity of the essential oil (EO) was tested using the disk diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum lethal concentration (MLC) for C. musae was 100.0 and 300.0 μg μL-1, respectively. A liquid bioassay method was used to determine the antifungal efficacy of the oil enriched chitosan films against C. musae. More than 50 % inhibition of the growth of the fungus was achieved when the oil concentrations in EO-chitosan films was between 0.08 – 0.40 μg mm-2. The antibacterial activity of the oil and the oil enriched films was determined by measuring the optical density of the cultures at 610 nm. The optical density (OD610) values of S. aureus and E. coli cultures showed a sharp and gradual reduction, respectively with increasing oil concentration. The growth of S. aureus was negligible at oil concentrations higher than 5.0 μg μL-1. The oil enriched films showed a lower inhibition of the growth of both bacteria.

Palm oil deodorizer distillate as toughening agent in polylactide packaging films

AbstractPolylactide (PLA) is the most used biodegradable and biobased food packaging polymer for rigid containers and films. However, its low ductility is a hurdle for increasing its applications in flexible food packaging. A solution is the use of additives. Palm oil deodorizer distillate (PODC) is revealed to be an excellent additive promoting PLA ductility. PODC is a by‐product of vegetable oil refining, which is available in stable quality and in sufficient amounts. Amorphous PLA/PODC blends had an elongation at break of around 130% and that of semi‐crystalline blends was still around 55% compared to the initial 5% of neat PLA. At the same time the PLA rigidity and high glass transition temperatures were kept. PODC was also a very efficient processing aid, allowing for film blow extrusion. The blends were stable in properties during six months without exudation. They complied with legal norms of Food Contact Materials (EU 10/2011) and induced no sensorial alteration of packed food. Therefore PODC is a very interesting alternative to common plasticizers for the production of flexible PLA packaging films. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry

Nanocellulose in bio-based food packaging applications

Cellulose nanostructures have been widely studied as components of materials for a variety of applications including food packaging. They are usually incorporated as a reinforcement phase in nanocomposites (as cellulose nanocrystals or cellulose nanofibrils). In other cases, cellulose nanostructures have been used as matrices for films—bacterial cellulose (BC) deserving a special attention in this context, since it is produced as naturally nanostructured membranes, which may grow in a medium containing other biopolymers (producing bottom-up built bionanocomposites), be impregnated with other components, or be disintegrated into nanofibribils or even nanocrystals. This review summarizes findings and prospective applications of nanocellulose for bio-based materials to be used in food packaging (including active packaging).

Development of expert system for biobased polymer material selection: food packaging application

Biobased food packaging materials are gaining more attention owing to their intrinsic biodegradable nature and renewability. Selection of suitable biobased polymers for food packaging applications could be a tedious task with potential mistakes in choosing the best materials. In this paper, an expert system was developed using Exsys Corvid software to select suitable biobased polymer materials for packaging fruits, dry food and dairy products. If - Then rule based system was utilized to accomplish the material selection process whereas a score system was formulated to facilitate the ranking of selected materials. The expert system selected materials that satisfied all constraints and selection results were presented in suitability sequence depending on their scores. The expert system selected polylactic acid (PLA) as the most suitable material.

Polysaccharides as Biopolymers for Food Shelf-Life Extention: Recent Patents

Biopolymers have properties that make them suitable for use in increasing food shelf-life. At present, conventional polymers could be substituted with biobased food packaging materials in several areas such as meat products, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, frozen food, dry food, snacks, ready to eat food and drinks. In spite of the enormous amount of published scientific articles and reviews on polysaccharide employment in food shelf-life extension, there is a comparatively limited number of patents issued from industry. Several polysaccharides alone or in combination with other substances are proposed in the patents aimed to extend the food shelf-life of fresh food, reducing modifications in color, flavor and taste. In this review, we will focus on polysaccharides extracted from biomass and their applications in the food industry, in particular on food shelf-life extension. The patents issued in the last twenty years for polysaccharides and their applications in food shelf-life extension will be reviewed.

Wheat gluten-coated papers for bio-based food packaging: Structure, surface and transfer properties

The objective of the present work was to understand how the structural, surface, water vapour and gas barrier properties of wheat gluten (WG) coated paper could be influenced by the features of paper. For this purpose, a surface treated paper (TP) and an untreated paper (UTP) were compared. Penetration of WG-coating into the bulk of paper was more pronounced in UTP than TP. This led to the formation of a significant junction zone resulting in an interpenetrated structure for WG–UTP, suggesting a composite-like structure, while a bi-layer one was obtained for WG–TP. Differences in WG penetration were related to the hydrophilicity, roughness and porosity of the paper used. Even though the extent of penetration did not greatly affect the surface properties (water and oil resistance), the transfer properties (water vapour, O2 and CO2) of WG-coated papers were significantly improved when WG-coating highly penetrated: while the WG–TP behaved as a micro-perforated material, the WG–UTP behaved as WG-film.