Single Packaging Research Articles

PCDH15 Dual-AAV Gene Therapy for Deafness and Blindness in Usher Syndrome Type 1F Models.

Usher syndrome type 1F (USH1F), resulting from mutations in the protocadherin-15 (PCDH15) gene, is characterized by congenital lack of hearing and balance, and progressive blindness in the form of retinitis pigmentosa. In this study, we explore an approach for USH1F gene therapy, exceeding the single AAV packaging limit by employing a dual adeno-associated virus (AAV) strategy to deliver the full-length PCDH15 coding sequence. We demonstrate the efficacy of this strategy in mouse USH1F models, effectively restoring hearing and balance in these mice. Importantly, our approach also proves successful in expressing PCDH15 protein in clinically relevant retinal models, including human retinal organoids and non-human primate retina, showing efficient targeting of photoreceptors and proper protein expression in the calyceal processes. This research represents a major step toward advancing gene therapy for USH1F and the multiple challenges of hearing, balance, and vision impairment.

AAV-mediated gene therapies by miniature gene editing tools.

The advent of CRISPR-Cas has revolutionized precise gene editing. While pioneering CRISPR nucleases like Cas9 and Cas12 generate targeted DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) for knockout or homology-directed repair, next generation CRISPR technologies enable gene editing without DNA DSB. Base editors directly convert bases, prime editors make diverse alterations, and dead Cas-regulator fusions allow nuanced control of gene expression, avoiding potentially risks like translocations. Meanwhile, the discovery of diminutive Cas12 orthologs and Obligate Mobile Element-Guided Activity (OMEGA) nucleases has overcome cargo limitations of adeno-associated viral vectors, expanding prospects for in vivo therapeutic delivery. Here, we review the ever-evolving landscape of cutting-edge gene editing tools, focusing on miniature Cas12 orthologs and OMEGA effectors amenable to single AAV packaging. We also summarize CRISPR therapies delivered using AAV vectors, discuss challenges such as efficiency and specificity, and look to the future of this transformative field of in vivo gene editing enabled by AAV vectors delivery.

Investigation of a lignocellulose fiber hornification treatment for improving the functionality of apple pomace-based pulp for molded pulp packaging

Transfer molded pulp packaging (TMPP) is a viable alternative to single use plastic packaging. TMPP is typically produced from recycled newspapers, but the availability of this feedstock material is declining. Apple pomace (AP) pulp, primarily composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin, can be used as the primary component of TMPP, but its high water retention value (WRV) and separation from other pulps (recycled cardboard (CB) in this study) limits its utilizations in TMPP. A pressing and thermal drying cellulose hornification treatment followed by a repulping step was implemented to reduce pulp WRV and enhance AP and CB fiber entanglements. 11 %, 20 %, and 25 % reductions in WRV were achieved through 1 t-force pressing and drying at 120 °C for 2.5, 15, or 27.5 min, named mild, medium, and strong hornification treatments, respectively. Increased AP and CB fiber entanglements were observed via microscopy with rising hornification drying times. The medium hornification treatment was identified as the optimal treatment for reducing pulp WRV and reducing pulp separation without decreasing pulp sheet tensile strength. This study introduced and validated a novel processing technique for improved functionality of AP-based pulp for packaging applications.

A circular economy for reusable plastic packaging: digital assessment for cleaning assurance

Single use plastic packaging is widely accepted to cause significant negative environmental impacts. One option to reduce these impacts is to develop commercially viable and socially acceptable reuse systems. Such closed loop packaging systems require careful consideration of reverse (or circular) logistics, financial modelling, and quality control (fulfilling legal requirements and ethical obligations). One of the most prominent barriers to the concept of reusable packaging for food is safety, dictated by challenges of effective cleaning and pack integrity assessment. This research directly addresses cleaning assurance by investigating the application of ultraviolet (UV) induced fluorescence imaging to optically detect residual food fouling on plastic packaging surfaces. This research reports for the first time the evaluation of UV fluorescence imaging @370 nm for the detection of food fouling on washed PET food pots. The technique is compared against the industry standard, adenosine triphosphate swabbing, and is found to provide a comparable range of sensitivity, full surface coverage, faster assessment, and is suitable for full automation without the use of consumables. The technique is evaluated with respect to integration into industrial process systems. Plastic packing design implications are discussed in this context.

Intelligent and Active Packaging System Application in Evaluating and Maintaining the Tuna (Thunnus Sp.) Fillets’ Quality at Cold Temperature

This study developed intelligent and active packaging combined for tuna fillets. The purposes of this study were to determine the colour change of packaging indicator labels and the effectiveness of edible coatings (citronella oil concentrations of 0%, 0.5%, and 1%), as well as to establish a correlation between the colour analysis values of intelligent indicator and observed spoilage criteria of tuna stored at refrigerated temperatures (4±1°C). The parameters tested included the determination of Total Volatile Bases Nitrogen, Total Plate Count, pH, and sensory analysis. The test was carried out every three days for 18 days, with two replications. The findings indicated that the intelligent indicator label (Bromothymol blue + Methyl Red (1:1)) changed colour from deep red to yellow and then green. Edible coating with 0.5% citronella oil gave the best result in this study. The correlation between the colour analysis of the intelligent indicators and the parameters of the fish spoilage test is positive, suggesting a consistent trend pattern in determining the degree of decay in tuna fillets. Correlation coefficient values vary from 0.98 to 0.99, showing a significant correlation. The combination of intelligent and active packaging in a single packaging system allows for monitoring tuna's quality while increasing its shelf life.

Plasticisers for edible packaging made of thermoplastic sago starch

Potential use of thermoplastic starch as better alternative material for single use packaging is of interest. Sago starch which is prevalent in South East Asia is the material of choice. Brittle nature of thermoplastic starch as it is can be overcome by using plasticisers. Aiming to produce edible thermoplastic sago starch, this study examined the use of glycerol, sorbitol, fructose, and their combinations as the plasticiser. Plasticiser addition of 25 wt% and 40 wt% in the thermoplastic sago starch is also a variable. The thermoplastic starches were tested in terms of strength, elongation at break, and solubility. The tests were done on week 1 and week 5 after fabrication. It was found that sorbitol, fructose, and sorbitol-fructose combination at 25 wt% did not function as plasticiser for the thermoplastic sago starch. Glycerol addition at 25 wt% resulted in 0.89 MPa strength and 10.4 % elongation at break. At this low content, combining glycerol with sorbitol or fructose lowers the mechanical properties. At 40 wt%, glycerol showed lower strength and higher elongation compared to its low content counterpart. When combined with sorbitol or fructose, the mixtures showed higher strength but lower elongation. The highest strength was shown by thermoplastic sago starch with 40 wt% sorbitol at 1.41 MPa although the elongation was among the lowest. After 5 weeks of storage time, only thermoplastic starch with 40 wt% glycerol and glycerol combinations is ductile enough to be tensile tested. The strength and elongation is lower than the result from week 1. Solubility increases at high plasticiser content. After 5 weeks of storage time, the thermoplastic sago starch showed lower solubility.

A New Value Proposition for Uganda’s Maize Stover to Manufacture Moulded Pulp Packaging Material for Fruits and Vegetables

Post harvest losses of fresh produce, including fruits and vegetables, have continued to be high. This realization has triggered numerous efforts to address this issue. One proposition is to utilize maize stover to produce sustainable moulded pulp bio-based packaging as a possible replacement for single plastics packaging. Maize stover is considered a burden to farmers to dispose after harvesting leading to its wastage. The objectives of this study were; to ascertain the current ways in which maize stover is utilized by farmers, the major packaging materials they use, and the determinants of demand for the quantity of packaging materials that farmers use. A total of 200 smallholder maize farmers from Kamuli district were interviewed. Findings show that a good percentage of farmers destroy the stover through burning, some farmers plough it back to replenish the lost soil nutrients, while others use it as livestock fodder. Polypropylene and polyethylene packaging materials are the most used and preferred packages due to availability, and affordability. The covariates that determine the demand for the number of packages purchased annually were; quantity of maize marketed, distance to the market, funds spent on marketing, and annual income. To increase the demand for maize stover packaging materials formal education, regular training, access to capital and formation of farmer groups are recommended.

Innovative Biotic Symbiosis for Plastic Biodegradation to Solve their End-of-Life Challenges in the Agriculture and Food Industries

At present just about 30% of the waste plastic collected is efficiently recycled, while the rest is incinerated, disposed in landfills, or can end up in compost and be released in the environment, inducing a very negative effect on safety and health of flora and fauna. Sustainable management of hardly recyclable plastic waste generated by light weight single use packaging and agricultural films can be improved by applying biotechnological approaches, combining microorganisms, new enzymes, earthworms, and insects to work collaboratively, not only to promote the degradation of these plastics but also to obtain, by-products of the biodegradation process to be valorized as fertilizers, functional polysaccharides, etc. In order to develop a feasible process, mapping and characterization of the most diffused agri-food waste plastic were conducted isolating the main types of plastic involved. Plastic waste in agriculture is mainly constituted by polyethylene (PE) both linear low density (LLDPE) and high density (HDPE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS), whereas in food packaging polyethylene is still present together with a large presence of polypropylene, polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Combining plastic presence and availability of organisms for their degradability, representative samples of plastics (PE, PET, PS) were selected for analysis of deterioration and potential subsequent biodegradation by enzymes and organisms. To monitor the plastic degradability by enzymes, and larvae, methods for the plastic analysis were set, outlining some differences in virgin and post consumer plastic in particular after use in agriculture, assessing the possibility to monitor the degradability of plastic with time and different treatments, in particular, some evidence of polyethylene degradability from larvae of Tenebrio molitor was observed.

Reducing single use packaging and moving up the waste hierarchy

ABSTRACT Interest in circular economy practices is increasing. A key material that connects the circular economy and wider environmental concerns is plastic waste, which poses environmental, climate, and human health risks. Single-use plastic packaging is particularly problematic because it forms the largest share of the global plastics market, has a short life cycle, and has channelled investment towards the bottom of the waste hierarchy. Given single-use plastic packaging is embedded in global trade, transitioning away from use requires much more than ‘behaviour change’ from individual producers and consumers. In this article we use social practice theory to show how social change is occurring with regard to single-use plastics. We draw on two food retail case studies of (primarily) business-to-consumer packaging from Aotearoa New Zealand. We show how transitioning away from single-use plastic food packaging requires (1) understanding the function and meaning of packaging materials, and (2) coordinating other materials, skills and meanings to re-craft and substitute the functions that single-use packaging performs across businesses, supply chains and consumers. Our analysis illustrates the significant collaboration and emerging networks needed for change, and signals how investment towards the top of the waste hierarchy in reuse could contribute to a more circular economy.

(Retracted) Intelligent packaging design and research based on big data image processing

As people’s living standards become higher and higher, people’s requirements for commodities and packaging also become higher and higher. The traditional single packaging can no longer meet the consumer demand of the public. The traditional packaging not only wastes resources but also has single functions. Therefore, this paper proposes an intelligent packaging design. This paper aims to study how to research intelligent packaging design based on big data (BD) image processing. This paper proposes the relevant theoretical knowledge of BD image processing, intelligent packaging design, and the importance of both. The experimental results of this paper show that the development of traditional packaging has been constrained in recent years, from the usage rate of about 80% at the beginning to the usage rate of about 20% later. The utilization rate of smart packaging has risen from about 16% at the beginning to the highest utilization rate of about 83%. It can be seen that smart packaging meets people’s consumption needs. Smart packaging not only has various styles but also has many more functions than traditional packaging and has become more environmentally friendly, which also greatly reduces environmental pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the intelligent packaging design based on BD image processing in this paper.

Stretchability and Deformation Behavior of Polybutylene Adipate-co-terephthalate Blend Films

The single use packaging is widely used in various products; ranging from food to non-food contact, from commodity to specialty purposes. Most of these materials are derived from non-renewable fossil resources. In a sustainable manner, it needs to be recyclable or compostable. Good mechanical properties together with biodegradability can make the product more recyclable. In this study, the elasticity for films consisting of polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) blended with polylactic acid (PLA) (10, and 20 %wt), additive and reactive agents were evaluated. The blends were prepared via a twin-screw extruder. The film specimens were prepared by cast film extrusion. The films were then stretched with different ratios (1.5, 2 and 2.5 times) by the uniaxial machine. The mechanical properties, elasticities and surface morphology of uniaxially stretched PBAT and PBAT blend films were characterized by tensile testing and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The tensile strength of stretched films tended to improve while the elongation at break reduced at higher stretching ratios. The surface morphology of stretched films revealed that the degree of orientation was increased after higher stretching ratios. The ability to recover in the plastic deformation region of stretched films was increased at the higher stretching ratios.

PEDOT:PSS/MXene/PEG composites with remarkable thermal management performance and excellent HF-band & X-band electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency for electronic packaging

Recently, the miniaturization of microelectronics has proposed a more urgent demand for the multi-functionalization of packaging materials. Here, a PEDOT:PSS/MXene/PEG composite, which is prepared by vertical directional freezing and vacuum infiltrating, integrates the function of heat management & EMI shielding into single packaging material. The melting & cooling enthalpy (237.6 & 236.1 J g−1) and the phase transition temperature of composite are enhanced synchronously for the first time. The zigzag modification of polyethylene glycol (PEG) crystal is induced by poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). The rest of crystal with (7/2) helix conformation packs preferentially along the (120) plane. The stability of the melting composite is enhanced. The PEG leakage is less than 0.66 %, and over 80 % dimension is maintained under the pressure of 1.88 kPa. The composite shows excellent photo-thermal (η = 94.9 %) and electro-thermal (tη = 7.86) conversion performances. The EMI shielding mechanism is reflection-dominated and the total EMI shielding effectiveness (SET) of composite is 29.8 dB at the framework content as low as 1.22 wt%, which is the relatively low filler content and the highest enthalpy efficiency among the reported composites with the equivalent SET. The HF-band shielding capability of composite is verified by the Tesla kit. The assembled heterogeneous asynchrony photo-thermal-electric conversion system identifies its potential application on photo-thermal converters and heat buff. The HF-band & X-band (Sub-6G) EM waves shielding and heat management in microelectronics can be achieved simultaneously by applying this composite.

Case Study: Efficacy of Engineering Controls in Mitigating Diacetyl and 2,3-Pentanedione Emissions During Coffee Grinding.

Exposure to elevated levels of diacetyl in flavoring and microwave popcorn production has been associated with respiratory impairment among workers including from a severe lung disease known as obliterative bronchiolitis. Laboratory studies demonstrate damage to the respiratory tract in rodents exposed to either diacetyl or the related alpha-diketone 2,3-pentanedione. Respiratory tract damage includes the development of obliterative bronchiolitis-like changes in the lungs of rats repeatedly inhaling either diacetyl or 2,3-pentanedione. In one flavored coffee processing facility, current workers who spent time in higher diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione areas had lower lung function values, while five former flavoring room workers were diagnosed with obliterative bronchiolitis. In that and other coffee roasting and packaging facilities, grinding roasted coffee beans has been identified as contributing to elevated levels of diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione. To reduce worker exposures, employers can take various actions to control exposures according to the hierarchy of controls. Because elimination or substitution is not applicable to coffee production facilities not using flavorings, use of engineering controls to control exposures at their source is especially important. This work demonstrates the use of temporary ventilated enclosures around grinding equipment in a single coffee roasting and packaging facility to mitigate diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione emissions from grinding equipment to the main production space. Concentrations of diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione were measured in various locations throughout the main production space as well as inside and outside of ventilated enclosures to evaluate the effect of the enclosures on exposures. Diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione concentrations outside one grinder enclosure decreased by 95 and 92%, respectively, despite ground coffee production increasing by 12%, after the enclosure was installed. Outside a second enclosure, diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione concentrations both decreased 84%, greater than the 33% decrease in ground coffee production after installation. Temporary ventilated enclosures used as engineering control measures in this study effectively reduced emissions of diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione at the source in this facility. These findings motivated management to explore options with a grinding equipment manufacturer to permanently ventilate their grinders to reduce emissions of diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione.

Properties and Degradability of Poly(Butylene Adipate-Co-Terephthalate)/Calcium Carbonate Films Modified by Polyethylene Glycol.

Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) is a biodegradable polymer synthesized from petrochemical resources. PBAT has an exceptionally high elongation at break values which makes it one of the most promising substitutes for LDPE packaging films. However, the applicability of PBAT films is still limited by low strength and high production costs. In this work, we used polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG-600) as a coating agent to modify the surface of calcium carbonate and improve compatibility with the polymer matrix. A series of PBAT/CaCO3 composite films having different CaCO3 particle size and content of coating agent was prepared using extrusion blow molding. The effect of particle size of CaCO3 filler and the content of a coating agent on the mechanical and rheological properties of composite films have been studied. The biodegradation properties have been tested by burying the samples in soil or keeping them in artificial seawater for 90 days. It was shown that the addition of PEG-600 improves compatibility between the matrix and CaCO3 filler as polar –OH groups of PEG have a high affinity toward the polar surface of CaCO3. Moreover, the hydrophilicity of PEG-600 increased the diffusivity of water molecules and facilitated PBAT degradation. This work provides experimental data and theoretical guidance that support the development of high-performance PBAT/calcium carbonate films for the single use packaging industry.

Environmental impacts of plastic packaging of food products

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used widely to compare the relative impacts of different packaging materials for a specific food product, but few studies evaluate how a single packaging material contributes to a variety of food items. Plastic is a common material used for food packaging. This study conducts an analysis of 28 studies that conduct an LCA of food products to quantify the impact of plastic packaging relative to the total life cycle impact of food products. For most of the 13 environmental indicators reported, plastic packaging is responsible for less than 10% of total life cycle emissions of 23 out of the 30 foods studied. Relative packaging emissions tend to be higher for liquids and food products packaged in small quantities, although the absolute values of energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are small. To make LCA results more accessible to non-scientific audiences, this study compares the results to a reference value of the emissions of vehicle travel. The environmental impact caused by the packaging from per capita annual food consumption is less than the environmental impact of per capita daily vehicle travel for most food products analyzed, although annual beverage consumption can be responsible for the equivalent impact of 76 miles of driving.

A comprehensive review on the properties and functionalities of biodegradable and semibiodegradable food packaging materials

The development of biodegradable food packaging with superior properties and functionalities compared to conventional food packaging is one of the emerging research interests. Immediate disposal of conventional single use nonbiodegradable food packaging results in adverse environmental impact. Utilization of either biomass-based, microorganism-derived, or biotechnologically synthesized biopolymers as biodegradable matrices is the common approach toward achieving sustainability. Consequently, starch and cellulose are being commonly used as biodegradable matrices. However, rather than being fully biodegradable, most of them can be considered as semibiodegradable. Majority of the review studies are based on matrices that have an origin in edible sources, which might result in food insecurity. Although development of bio-based polymers with sound packaging properties have been extensively studied, the potential agro-industrial waste as alternative, eco-friendly, and economically viable matrices have attracted little attention. Therefore, the approaches of developing biodegradable food packaging and the framework of converting agro-industrial waste into biodegradable packaging matrices are discussed comparatively in this paper. It also critiques the approaches and valorization of agro-industrial waste in biodegradable food packaging. Thereby, an overview of physicochemical, functional, and biodegradable properties of commonly used biodegradable food packaging materials are provided as an insight for agro-industrial waste-based food packaging. The potential use of agro-industrial waste-based biodegradable food packaging materials against commonly used biodegradable food packaging materials has been highlighted in this study. Thereby, the vital necessity of growing awareness about agro-industrial waste as biodegradable food packaging materials is emphasized through this comprehensive review.

Cold plasma aseptic packaging

Cold plasma aseptic packaging

Effect of hot climate of Saudi Arabia on physical and mechanical properties of single use polypropylene packaging films

Two types of single use plastic films were used to study the effect of hot climate conditions of Saudi Arabia during a six-month experiment. The objective of the study is to understand the degradation behavior of the single use packaging films under direct sunlight exposure with variation in humidity. The films were kept on a specially designed experimental setup. The films were analyzed every month with respect to morphology, spectroscopy, thermal and mechanical properties. The microscopic images showed initiation of cracks on the exterior of films. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength and tensile modulus were measured and a decrease of 17 and 7% from the virgin material was noticed. The thermal and flammability properties also showed a decrease which confirmed the ageing of the films due to the climatic conditions. The water contact angle showed 20% decrease which indicated the effect of the weathering conditions to make the films less hydrophobic. The degraded packaging films after the exposure could be used as recycling component for the preparation of reusable single use plastic compounds.

PERFORMANCE PROPERTIES OF KNITTED FABRICS PRODUCED FROM rPET AND COTTON/rPET BLENDED VORTEX AND RING YARNS

An awareness of environmental issues is crucial for textile engineering due to increasing consumption of textile fibres. In addition, levels of pollution are ever increasing due to single use polymeric packaging materials in our daily life. Single use polymeric packaging materials, such as PET beverage bottles, have impacts on the consumption of raw materials and energy, on the contamination of our water and atmosphere, on human health, on global climate change. In this point of view, the ability of the textile producers to recycle the disposed PET beverage bottles into textile products has a critical importance. In this study, performance properties of knitted fabrics produced from rPET and cotton/rPET blended vortex and ring yarns are investigated to figure out the reproducibility of environmentally friendly textile products. For this aim, 100% rPET, 50-50% rPET-Co and 50-50% VPET-Co yarns were produced by Vortex and Ring Spinning technologies with same yarn number as Ne 30/1. Then the knitted fabric samples were produced from these sample yarns and the fabrics were dyed. Dimensional stability, bursting strength and pilling resistance properties of the fabrics were examined. Dimensional stability properties of rPET used fabrics were found to be similar with the ones which VPET used. Pilling resistance and bursting strength of the sample fabrics were close to each other that rPET usage does not demonstrate any disadvantage. Consequently, rPET fibre usage instead of VPET fibre is found to be appropriate.

Starch-Mucilage Composite Films: An Inclusive on Physicochemical and Biological Perspective.

In recent years, scientists have focused on research to replace petroleum-based components plastics, in an eco-friendly and cost-effective manner, with plant-derived biopolymers offering suitable mechanical properties. Moreover, due to high environmental pollution, global warming, and the foreseen shortage of oil supplies, the quest for the formulation of biobased, non-toxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable polymer films is still emerging. Several biopolymers from varied natural resources such as starch, cellulose, gums, agar, milk, cereal, and legume proteins have been used as eco-friendly packaging materials for the substitute of non-biodegradable petroleum-based plastic-based packaging materials. Among all biopolymers, starch is an edible carbohydrate complex, composed of a linear polymer, amylose, and amylopectin. They have usually been considered as a favorite choice of material for food packaging applications due to their excellent forming ability, low cost, and environmental compatibility. Although the film prepared from bio-polymer materials improves the shelf life of commodities by protecting them against interior and exterior factors, suitable barrier properties are impossible to attain with single polymeric packaging material. Therefore, the properties of edible films can be modified based on the hydrophobic–hydrophilic qualities of biomolecules. Certain chemical modifications of starch have been performed; however, the chemical residues may impart toxicity in the food commodity. Therefore, in such cases, several plant-derived polymeric combinations could be used as an effective binary blend of the polymer to improve the mechanical and barrier properties of packaging film. Recently, scientists have shown their great interest in underutilized plant-derived mucilage to synthesize biodegradable packaging material with desirable properties. Mucilage has a great potential to produce a stable polymeric network that confines starch granules that delay the release of amylose, improving the mechanical property of films. Therefore, the proposed review article is emphasized on the utilization of a blend of source and plant-derived mucilage for the synthesis of biodegradable packaging film. Herein, the synthesis process, characterization, mechanical properties, functional properties, and application of starch and mucilage-based film are discussed in detail.