Packaged Food Products Research Articles

Proportions and types of different sweeteners in the Hungarian packaged food supply

Abstract Branded food databases facilitate the analysis of sweetener use in commercial packaged food products. The purpose of this study was to map the use of sweeteners in relevant packaged food categories and to assess and compare the nutrient profile of non-sugar (including sugar alcohol) vs. added sugar sweetened food products in Hungary. The foodDB software, developed by University of Oxford, enables automated online data collection, and was used to compile data of all foods and drinks available from four major Hungarian supermarket websites, selected by market share in March 2021. Only products containing either added sugar and/or non-sugar sweeteners were included in the study. These were categorized into 12 food groups using specific search terms. After data cleaning the final product number was 2016. 72% of the products was sweetened with added sugars only, 15% of them with non-sugar sweeteners only and 13% contained both sugars and non-sugar sweeteners. Chewing gums (92%), soft drinks (60%), energy drinks (50%) and pickles (35%) contained non-sugar sweeteners in the largest proportion. More than 90% of flavoured alcoholic beers, chocolate bars, breakfast cereals and yogurts were sweetened with added sugar only. Nine categories included food items containing multiple non-sugar sweeteners per product. The most common non-sugar sweeteners were acesulfame-potassium, sucralose, aspartame present in 15%, 10%, 9% of the total products respectively. Muesli bars with non-sugar sweeteners contained less energy but also less fibre than muesli bars with added sugars only; whereas pickles with non-sugar sweeteners contained less energy but were significantly higher in salt than those products with added sugars only. The presence of non-sugar sweeteners is widespread in the Hungarian food supply; however, their use does not guarantee a more beneficial nutrient profile. Branded food databases are useful tools to analyse the nutrient composition of packaged foods. Key messages • Branded food databases are useful tools to monitor the composition of the packaged food supply. • The nutrition profile of foods with non-sugar sweeteners can be less favourable than foods with added sugars.

Advancements in metal oxide bio‐nanocomposites for sustainable food packaging: Fabrication, applications, and future prospectives

AbstractThe research on metal oxide bio‐nanocomposites for sustainable food packaging has witnessed significant advancements, offering a promising alternative to traditional food packaging materials. This review briefly describes their fabrication techniques, applications, superiority over conventional packaging, challenges, limitations, and potential trends. These new materials are derived by incorporating metal oxide nanoparticles into the biopolymers and show better properties, such as better antimicrobial properties, which are vital in food packaging. The advantages of using metal oxide bio‐nanocomposites over typical food packaging films include enhanced mechanical properties, better moisture and oxygen resistance, bacterial resistance, and light protection. These versatile materials not only serve the purpose of properly preserving the quality and possibly even the wholesomeness of packed food products, but they are also environmentally friendly. Moreover, the review presents current developments and areas of use of metal oxide bio‐nanocomposites in food packaging and it also proposes future developments to meet the modern challenge of the food industry in the development of advanced packaging technologies.

Analysis of the Impact of Plastic Packaging on Food Waste Behavior in UK Households

This research is designed to analyse the impact of plastic packaging for food products on households’ food waste behaviour in the UK. The photo-elicitation approach is employed to achieve this research goal, and the sample consists of fifteen respondents in the Wales region and in particular in Bangor. As a result, this research finds that most of the respondents are in favour of a significant impact of food packaging on food waste, and most of them indicate that plastic food packaging can contribute relatively more to food waste than other types of food packaging. On the other hand, there also exist a few respondents who consider that there is no relationship between food packaging and food waste.

Assessment of Practices on Purchase of Packaged Foods and Utilization Patterns of Food Labels among Adults in Puducherry

Abstract Background: There is an increase in the manufacture and consumption of prepackaged foods as a result of widespread urbanization, long working time, and adaption to a sedentary lifestyle. The majority of these prepackaged foods contain food labels. Food labeling is a community-based strategy that informs customers about a food’s nutritional composition, empowering them to choose healthier foods. To assess the practices on the purchase of packaged foods and utilization patterns of food labels among adults in Puducherry. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional survey in the field practice area of a private medical college at Puducherry was carried out for two months including adults residing for > 6 months in selected villages/wards. A sample size of 460 with a multistage sampling technique was considered. Data collection using a semi-structured questionnaire incorporated into Epi-collect software and was analyzed using SPSS16. Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional Ethical Committee. Written informed consent was sought from participants. Results: Around 271 (58.91%) and 189 (41.08%) respondents were residing in urban and rural regions, respectively. Purchase of packages was seen in 297 (64.57%) people. Only one-fourth of the subjects had the practice of reading the food labels, with urban residents having a better practice when compared with rural population (P value < 0.05). Conclusion: The study reveals a low level of utilization pattern of food labels among consumers of packaged food products. The findings of this study would be helpful for concerned authorities in creating and improving awareness among consumers and ensuring that their usability is improved.

Fuzzy logic-based barcode scanning system for food products halal identification

Halal status in food products is fundamental for Muslims and may be crucial for those who are allergic to non-halal ingredients when choosing suitable foods for consumption. However, with the rising demand for food products and the advancement of science and technology, contamination with non-halal substances is likely to occur in food production. Furthermore, some irresponsible food industry players tend to replace halal with non-halal ingredients to reduce costs. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the contents of halal food products to ensure compliance with the guidelines outlined by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM). In this study, an integrated fuzzy logic barcode scanning system was developed to determine non-halal ingredients and traces in packaged food products. Although the information on food products can be easily accessed from the open-source web data bank, using the proposed fuzzy logic based-barcode scanning system to identify the authenticity of halal food products is an alternative option for providing accurate, reliable, and fast detection. The inputs for the fuzzy logic framework are halal logo, alcohol, animal fats, gelatin, ham, bacon, L-cysteine, lipase, mono-and diglycerides, pepsin, rennet, sodium stearoyl lactylate, vanilla extract, whey, and E-code of E120, E422, E441, E470, E542, and E904. On the other hand, the outputs are halal, uncertain, and non-halal. The fuzzy logic-based barcode system was able to identify the halal status for three different categories: samples with a halal logo, uncertain halal status samples, and non-halal samples.

Migration of Chemical Compounds from Packaging Materials into Packaged Foods: Interaction, Mechanism, Assessment, and Regulations.

The migration of chemical compounds from packaging polymers to food presents a multifaceted challenge with implications for food safety and public health. This review explores the interaction between packaging materials and food products, focusing on permeation, migration, and sorption processes. The different migration mechanisms of contact migration, gas phase migration, penetration migration, set-off migration, and condensation/distillation migration have been discussed comprehensively. The major migrating compounds are plasticizers, nanoparticles, antioxidants, light stabilizers, thermal stabilizers, monomers, oligomers, printing inks, and adhesives, posing potential health risks due to their association with endocrine disruption and carcinogenic effects. Advanced analytical methods help in the monitoring of migrated compounds, facilitating compliance with regulatory standards. Regulatory agencies enforce guidelines to limit migration, prompting the development of barrier coatings and safer packaging alternatives. Furthermore, there is a need to decipher the migration mechanism for mitigating it along with advancements in analytical techniques for monitoring the migration of compounds.

An Improved Single Objective Optimization Approach for Double-Layered Multi-Head Weighing Process

In recent years, the double-layered multi-head weighers whose hoppers are arranged in two levels are widely used in the accurate and reliable weighing for packing food products. The weighing processes are mathematically modeled into a single objective optimization problems. The objective of packing problem is to minimize the total weight of combined hoppers for a package under the condition that the total weight must be no less than a specified target weight. This paper proposes a novel single objective optimization approach for double-layered multi-head weighing process. More precisely, relying on a new bound on the optimal weight, this study accurately determines the number of hoppers to be combined at each packing operation, and find the best possible hopper combination using the single-objective algorithm. This method significantly speeds up the packing process as a whole. According to the present approach, the candidate number of hoppers to be combined can be taken one or two integral values. The probability that the accurate number of hoppers to be combined becomes one integral value is explicitly calculated, which is the performance factor to the previous one. In addition, results from the numerical experiments to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach are presented.

Revealing intelligent packaging for food products from consumers’ point of view in Georgia

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the awareness, perception and attitude of consumers from Georgia toward smart, active and intelligent packaging of food products.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a quantitative research method using a survey questionnaire tool to gather data from consumers in Georgia.FindingsThe scope of the sample is restricted to only one developing country. Yet, the research results are still significant in creating knowledge about innovative food packaging from different country contexts and to understanding the acceptance of intelligent active packaging by consumers.Research limitations/implicationsIntelligent packaging facilitates companies with their sustainability efforts by reducing waste and environmental impact. It increases the desirability of products as responds to customer demands and leads to consumer satisfaction. Intelligent packaging can increase trust in bioproducts; for example, it is possible to track and check or monitor the origin of a product and prove that the product producer has really manufactured a bioproduct.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the discussion of the applicability and use of packaging with enhanced features in the food industry. In this respect, the performed pilot study fills the gap in the packaging literature by investigating consumers’ perspectives on intelligent packaging in Georgia – a non-EU, post-soviet, developing country.

A Review of Recent Developments in Edible Films and Coatings-Focus on Whey-Based Materials.

Packaging for food products is particularly important to preserve product quality and shelf life. The most used materials for food packaging are plastic, glass, metal, and paper. Plastic films produced based on petroleum are widely used for packaging because they have good mechanical properties and help preserve the characteristics of food. However, environmental concerns are leading the trend towards biopolymers. Films and coatings based on biopolymers have been extensively studied in recent years, as they cause less impact on the environment, can be obtained from renewable sources or by-products, are relatively abundant, have a good coating and film-forming capacity, are biodegradable and have nutritional properties that can be beneficial to human health. Whey protein-based films have demonstrated good mechanical resistance and a good barrier to gases when at low relative humidity levels, in addition to demonstrating an excellent barrier to aromatic compounds and especially oils. The use of whey proteins for films or coatings has been extensively studied, as these proteins are edible, have high nutritional value, and are biodegradable. Thus, the main objective of this document was to review new methodologies to improve the physicochemical properties of whey protein films and coatings. Importance will also be given to the combinations of whey proteins with other polymers and the development of new techniques that allow the manipulation of structures at a molecular level. The controlled release and mass transfer of new biomaterials and the improvement of the design of films and packaging materials with the desired functional properties can increase the quality of the films and, consequently, broaden their applications.

Pendampingan Pembuatan Kemasan Produk untuk Meningkatkan Penjualan UMKM Kacang Sangrai di Desa Kalitimbang Cilegon

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) often face the problem of simple packaging. It needs to be recognized that products made by MSMEs are better than products made by manufacturers. However, the packaging is not attractive because the MSME products are simple. This is the reason why MSME products have limited market reach and are difficult to compete in the market, especially in modern markets. The method of implementing the Food Product Packaging Assistance activities in Kalitimbang Village uses the method of discussion, face-to-face and providing direct counseling and direct practice. The implementation of training on July 27, 2024 was in the form of providing material on good packaging procedures provided by one of Bina Bangsa University's KKM students. The session length was approximately 15 minutes which was attended by several workers and MSME owners. Implementation of practical training and tutorials on how to package attractively. By using a standing pouch and labeling the packaging. By using standing pouches and labels on this packaging itself allows MSME players to save more time and be more practical and fast in packaging these products.

Perlindungan Konsumen Terhadap Produk Pangan Berkemasan Plastik Yang Mengandung Bisphenol-A (BPA)

Introduction: Consumer rights, namely consumer comfort, security and safety are absolute and non-negotiable, including in consuming food products packaged in plastic.Purposes of the Research: This study aims to analyze consumer protection for plastic-packaged food products containing Bisphenol A (BPA).Methods of the Research: The type of legal research used to examine this issue is normative juridical, where this research is based on what is written in the laws and regulations. This research method is based on primary and secondary legal materials and uses a statute approach and a conceptual approach.Results of the Research: The Due Care principle can be used as a benchmark if it is related to the problem of food product packaging containing BPA. This is because the interests of consumers are vulnerable to being misused by business actors who only pursue large profits and because business actors are in a profitable position, business actors have an obligation to pay attention to ensure that consumer interests are not misused. Consumers are always in a vulnerable position if there are business actors who ignore consumer rights. The use of BPA in plastic packaging for food products that does not comply with the provisions is clearly an illegal act. Preventive consumer protection can be carried out by the government through a number of regulations governing provisions regarding food product packaging. Repressive protection can be provided by the government by imposing strict sanctions on business actors who produce food products in plastic packaging containing BPA

Influence of Different Deep Eutectic Solvents and Plant Extracts on Antioxidant, Mechanical, and Color Properties of Alginate Film.

Eco-friendly functional alginate films with plant extracts (chokeberry pomace (ChP) or lemon balm (LB) herb) were obtained. Moreover, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) based on choline chloride, glucose, and betaine were used to acquire the active substances from plant materials. The films were tested regarding the antioxidant, mechanical, and color properties. The results revealed that the films' antioxidant capacities (AC) depended on the extract type and DES used, namely AC values for alginate films with LB were higher than those with ChP. Moreover, the results of the films' mechanical properties depended only on the DES, which acted as a plasticizer in most cases. Furthermore, the color analysis of the studied films showed a dependence on the type of extract and DES. The lightness (L*) was influenced only by the DES type, while the solvent and extract type affected the a* and b* values. Our results show that the films can be applied as active packaging for food products.

Poly(alkylene 2,4-furanoate)s: The potential of structural isomerism for outstanding sustainable food packaging and unexpected evidence of self-healing microstructure

2,5-furandicarboxylic acid is an extremely appealing renewable chemical building block because of its potential to replace the petrochemical and industrially widespread terephthalic acid via the synthesis of poly(alkylene 2,5-furanoate)s (2,5-PAF). The recent interest in its structural isomer, 2,4-furandicarboxylic acid (2,4-FDCA), opened the study of poly(alkylene 2,4-furanoate)s (2,4-PAF). In this work, 2,4-FDCA was polymerized with linear glycols of increasing chain length, via a solvent-free polycondensation reaction, obtaining high molecular weight 2,4-PAF. Namely, poly(trimethylene 2,4-furanoate) (2,4-PTF), poly(pentamethylene 2,4-furanoate) (2,4-PPeF) and poly(hexamethylene 2,4-furanoate) (2,4-PHF). These polyesters were compression molded into films and subjected to NMR, GPC, WAXS, PLOM, TGA and DSC analyses. The functional properties for food packaging applications were evaluated by mechanical and gas permeability tests. 2,4-PAF had tunable mechanical properties, depending on the glycol used, and in some cases, the mechanical behavior of a thermoplastic elastomer and shape recovery after break. In particular, 2,4-PPeF had outstanding gas barrier properties, while DSC analyses on 2,4-PHF showed an endothermic phenomenon attributed to the isotropization of a partially-ordered phase: it was possible to demonstrate that this phase was disrupted during tensile tests and slowly recovered over time, at room temperature. Overall, the results offer new insights into the structure-property relationships of poly(alkylene 2,4-furanoate)s and display their great potential for the production of biobased, monomaterial, easily recyclable and sustainable food packaging.

Sustainable food choices require product-specific environmental footprints: The case of packaged food in Australia

The current food system is a major driver of global environmental change. Despite significant research interest in the environmental impacts of alternative diets, most studies estimate the effects of dietary shifts based on assumed changes in the consumption of raw agricultural commodities instead of simulating changes in the actual food and beverages consumed. In response to increasing consumer demand for product-specific health and sustainability labelling on packaged food products, it is necessary to develop robust environmental footprinting approaches to estimate the environmental impacts of foods and beverages available through retail outlets. This study quantifies the environmental impacts of 63,926 packaged food products in Australian supermarkets across five indicators including greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, acidification, and eutrophication potential. We integrated cradle-to-retail environmental estimates from life cycle assessment databases with ingredient proportions derived through a linear programming algorithm to measure product-specific impacts. Meat products consistently showed the highest impacts across all environmental indicators, while fruits, vegetables, plant-based meat alternatives, and non-alcoholic beverages had the lowest impacts. This study also shows that the dietary environmental footprints of Australian consumers can be significantly reduced by switching from high-impact to low-impact products within the same food category (e.g., meat products). Transitioning from high-impact to low-impact products across all food categories could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 96 %, with synergies across all other environmental indicators. The comprehensive results of this study can empower consumers, producers, and governments to identify context-specific opportunities for improving food system sustainability in Australia.

Antimicrobial Polymer Films with Grape Seed and Skin Extracts for Food Packaging.

The development of antimicrobial food packaging is a very important and current goal, but it still difficult to implement in practice. Reducing microbial contamination and preserving food quality are very important tasks for food manufacturers as the use of antimicrobial packaging can preserve the health of consumers. On the other hand, the difficulty of degrading packaging materials, leading to environmental pollution, is also an important problem. These problems can be solved by using biodegradable biopolymers and antimicrobial agents in the production of food packaging. Very suitable antimicrobial agents are grape seed and skin extracts as they have high antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity and are obtained from grape pomace, a waste product of winemaking. The present review presents the valuable bioactive compounds contained in grape seeds and skins, the methods used to obtain the extracts, and their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Then, the application of grape seed and skin extracts for the production of antimicrobial packaging is reviewed. Emphasis is placed on antimicrobial packaging based on various biopolymers. Special attention is also paid to the application of the extract of grape skins to obtain intelligent indicator packages for the continuous monitoring of the freshness and quality of foods. The focus is mainly placed on the antimicrobial properties of the packaging against different types of microorganisms and their applications for food packaging. The presented data prove the good potential of grape seed and skin extracts to be used as active agents in the preparation of antimicrobial food packaging.

The Effect of Advertising on Increasing Sales of Food Products

Reducing the consumption of unhealthy food is a major public health priority. Food marketing is part of the collateral environment that influences children’s food preferences and diet. The food, beverage, and restaurant industries are the biggest individual product advertisers. As such, there is a large concern that advertising can lead to obesity, which may lead to various health problems. The food advertising that children are exposed to falls into two main categories. The first consists of food advertising, and the second consists of food product packaging, which includes television advertising as well as packages of food sold at the supermarket. Advertising is a major business expense that affects certain food product sales. Well-targeted advertising helps to successfully promote food products. The main objective of any for-profit company, like any advertising campaign, is to create sales, and this study is directly interested in examining the impact that food advertising has on food sales. The main purpose of this paper is to determine the factors that more heavily affect the increase of sales of food products, taking into account that advertising has a positive influence.

Pelatihan Label Kemasan Produk sebagai Upaya Peningkatan Kualitas Produk UMKM Cahaya di Dusun Krajan Desa Giripurno, Kota Batu

The development of UMKM in Giripurno Village has not been accompanied by an increase in the quality of the products produced, especially in the use of labels on food product packaging. Socialization of the importance of labeling and label assistance in Krajan was carried with the aim of increasing public knowledge regarding the importance of using labels and improving the quality of food products by improving packaging labels. which complies with Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan (BPOM) regulations. The method used in this activity is socialization of the importance of labeling and assistance in making labels. The lecture was carried out by delivering material related to the importance of labeling on food products. In the presentation of this material there were three main topics of discussion, namely the meaning of labels, the criteria included on labels and label requirements, as well as the importance of using labels on food products. As for label assistance, this is done by discussing with UMKM owner, following the production process, and the label making process with the help of the Canva application. The socialization carried out among dasa wisma members resulted in increased knowledge regarding labels on food products, so it is hoped that this will make the process of making labels easier and avoid mistakes in understanding labels on products. The socialization and mentoring activities that have been carried out have resulted in new knowledge for the members of the Krajan’s dasa wisma members and also produced a new label for UMKM Cahaya.

Evaluating the Organisational Performance through the BSC-MCDM Framework in Packed Food Products Supply Chain

Evaluating the Organisational Performance through the BSC-MCDM Framework in Packed Food Products Supply Chain

Development of a Chitosan-Based Film from Shellfish Waste for the Preservation of Various Cheese Types during Storage.

The global concern about the use of disposable plastics has fed the research on sustainable packaging for food products. Among the virtuous materials, chitosan emerges as a valid alternative to conventional polyethylene films because of its abundance in nature. In this work, a novel film for food wrapping was developed by exploiting shellfish waste according to a vision of circular economy. Compared to previous studies, here, novel ingredients, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), fibroin, and essential oils, were used in a synergistic combination to functionally postpone cheese deterioration. The fermentative procedure applied for the obtainment of chitin contributes to filling the existing gap in the literature, since the majority of studies are based on the chemical pathways that dramatically impact the environment. After pretreatment, the shrimp shell waste (SSW) was fermented through two bacterial strains, namely Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis. A deacetylation step in an alkaline environment transformed chitin into chitosan, yielding 78.88 g/kg SWW. Four different film formulations were prepared, all containing chitosan with other ingredients added in order of decreasing complexity from the A to D groups. The novel films were tested with regard to their physico-mechanical and antioxidant properties, including the tensile strength (12.10-23.25 MPa), the elongation at break (27.91-46.12%), the hardness (52-71 Shore A), the film thickness (308-309 μm), and the radical scavenging activity (16.11-76.56%). The performance as a cling film was tested on two groups of cheese samples: the control (CTR), wrapped in conventional polyethylene (PE) film; treated (TRT), wrapped in the chitofilm formulation deemed best for its mechanical properties. The volatiles entrapped into the headspace were investigated by means of the SPME-GC technique. The results varied across soft, Camembert, and semi-hard cheeses, indicating a growing abundance of volatiles during the conservation of cheese. The bacterial growth trends for mesophilic, enterobacteriaceae, and lactic acid bacteria were expressed as the mean colony forming units (CFU)/mL for each type of cheese at different sampling times (day 2, day 8, and day 22): the highest load was quantified as 8.2 × 106 CFU/mL at day 22 in the CTR Camembert cheese. The TRT samples generally exhibited inhibitory activity comparable to or lower than that observed in the CTR samples. The sensory analysis revealed distinctions in cheese taste between the TRT and CTR groups.

Regioselective enzymatic depolymerization of aromatic-aliphatic polyester revealed by computational modelling

Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) is widely utilized in the production of food packaging and mulch films. Its extensive application has contributed significantly to global solid waste, posing numerous environmental challenges. Recently, enzymatic recycling has emerged as a promising eco-friendly solution for the management of plastic waste. Here, we systematically investigate the depolymerization mechanism of PBAT catalyzed by cutinase TfCutSI with molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations. Although the binding affinities for acid ester and terephthalic acid ester bonds are similar, a regioselective depolymerization mechanism and a “chain-length” effect on regioselectivity were proposed and evidenced. The regioselectivity is highly associated with specific structural parameters, namely Substrate@O4-Met@H7 and Substrate@C1-Ser@O1 distances. Notably, the binding mode of BTa captured by X-ray crystallography does not facilitate subsequent depolymerization. Instead, a previously unanticipated binding mode, predicted through computational analysis, is confirmed to play a crucial role in BTa depolymerization. This finding proves the critical role of computational modelling in refining experimental results. Furthermore, our results revealed that both the hydrogen bond network and enzyme’s intrinsic electric field are instrumental in the formation of the final product. In summary, these novel molecular insights into the PBAT depolymerization mechanism offer a fundamental basis for enzyme engineering to enhance industrial plastic recycling.