SD5LY4ME

3279

13 avril 2021 09:37

13 avril 2021 09:37

The food packaging industry is faced with a need to find alternative raw materials to replace the non-renewable petroleum-based polymers and active compounds used in developing active food packaging material (packaging film capable of maintaining food quality by releasing antioxidants into food in response to temperature and time) and temperature-time indicators. Agricultural residues are a promising one-stop feedstock for biopolymers (hemicellulose, nanocellulose, pectin) and active compounds (polyphenols, anthocyanins) that can be used to develop renewable, biodegradable and non-toxic active food packaging and temperature-time indicators. However, the sequential or co-extraction of these raw materials from agricultural residues is hindered by the differences in the optimal extraction conditions of the products. Furthermore, the coexistence of these products with other plant material in biomass affects their effective recovery, downstream processing and end-application. On the application side, biocomposite films such as hemicellulosebased films made from agro-derivatives, completely disintegrate when in contact with aqueous solutions, hence, they cannot be used for packaging wet food, limiting their application only to dry foods packaging. In addition, the poor mechanical properties (tensile strength and Young‘s modulus) of these films hinder their application as alternative packaging to petroleum-based films such as low density polyethylene (LDPE). Manipulating and optimising the biopolymers and antioxidants extraction processes taking into consideration downstream modification processes and end-application, can be a strategy in tailor-making the properties of the agro-derivatives with the aim of developing active food packaging films with properties similar or better than LDPE-based active packaging. Furthermore, modifying and blending the biopolymers to form films and applying hydrophobic coatings to the films can further enhance film properties. Therefore, the aim of the study was to develop processes for fractionating wheat straw and mango peels to recover biopolymers and bioactive compounds and then integrate the products into bio-composite films for active food packaging applications, using LDPE films as benchmark. In addition, the application of bioactive compounds from agro-residues as temperature-time indicators was evaluated.

None

• AB - Transversal
• FREDO durabilité
• FREDO technologie et innovation
• GEO Afrique du Sud
• emballage
• packaging

12/2020

1 décembre 2020