Production and Applications of Bio-based Packaging Materials For

Production and applications Production and applications of bio-based packaging of bio-based packaging materials for the food materials for the food

industryindustryC. J. Weber, V. Haugaard, R. Festersen & C. J. Weber, V. Haugaard, R. Festersen &

G. BertelsenG. Bertelsen

Presented by:Apoorva Gupta

M.Tech Food Biotechnology (I)

IntroductionIntroductionBiobased packaging – derived from renewable

sources

21st century – from petroleum derived sources to naturally derived sources

Environmental concerns

Currently, food packaging materials are petroleum based plastics, metals, glass, paper etc.

Cellulose – used commercially on a major scale

Biobased - Biodegradable or not?

Bio-based materialsBio-based materials

Type I – Polymers directly extracted Type I – Polymers directly extracted from biomassfrom biomass

• Extracted mainly from marine or agricultural products• Drawback – hydrophilic nature•Advantage – excellent gas barrier properties

Type II - Polymers produced by classical Type II - Polymers produced by classical chemical synthesis using bio-based chemical synthesis using bio-based

monomersmonomersClassic chemical synthesis – biopolyesters

Highest potential for commercial scale production – PLA (poly-lactic acid)

Good water vapour barrier

Relatively low gas transmittance

Feedstock - agricultural resources, e.g. corn or wheat, - agricultural waste products, such as

whey

Type III – Polymers produced by Type III – Polymers produced by natural or genetically modified natural or genetically modified

microbesmicrobes

PHA – produced by many bacterial species in the form of intracellular particles

Function as an energy and carbon reserve material

Renewable, bio-degradable, biocompatible, optically active polyesters

Functional groups present in the side chains of the polymer makes it possible to modify the polymer chemically

Bacterial cellulose - Acetobacter xylinum and A. pasteurianus

produce an almost pure form of cellulose (homo-beta-1,4-glucan)

Its chemical and physical structure is identical to the cellulose formed in plants

Plant cellulose - harsh chemical treatment to remove lignin, hemicellulose and pectins

Bio-based packagingBio-based packaging

Properties to be considered in relation to food distribution :

- gas and water vapour permeability, - mechanical properties & Sealing capability, - thermoforming properties, - resistance (towards water, grease, acid, UV light,

etc.), - machinability (on the packaging line), - transparency, printability, availability,- Costs- `cradle to grave’ cycle

No single bio-based material can satisfy all potential markets or applications

Therefore, a growing interest is seen in developing packaging concepts consisting of multilayer bio-based materials

Oftenly used laminate – outer layer of ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) or polyamide (PA) combined with LDPE

An equivalent bio-based laminate -

- a gas barrier material consisting of either plasticized chitosan, a protein or a starch-derived film

- PLA or PHA provides the mechanical strength and the water vapour barrier

Potential food applicationsPotential food applicationsMarket of biobased food-packaging materials - niche

markets

Cost – not a driving force

Applications :

1. Fruits & vegetables2. The ratio between oxygen and carbon dioxide

transmittance of most synthetic plastics is 1:43. For some bio-based materials, the same ratio is 1:30

or more 4. For packaging of high-respiring fruits and vegetables.5. Drawback – high water vapour transmittance

2. Cheese- Respiring - releases carbon dioxide during storage - Thus, packaging material must have a relatively high

carbon-dioxide transmittance rate to avoid inflation of the packages

- PHA and PLA or combination of different materials can be employed

3. Short – term storage

4. Chilled or frozen products – PLA & PHA

5. Containers for non-carbonated beverages- PLA & PHA as containers e.g. bottles, cups, cartons- Or as coatings on cardboard cartons for milk, juice etc.

6. Disposable tableware – compostable packaging and tableware

ConclusionConclusion Cellulose – the only widely used bio-based material

Rapid development - starch-based packaging for pasta (Italy) and PLA-based pots for yoghurt (Germany)

Cost – too high – therefore bio-based materials will have to compete on the performance and will have to have an extra added value

E.g. development of a bio-based cheese packaging material (`Biopack’), an EU project

Craft project - (`Greenfoam’) – focusses on the use of starch-based materials for the production of a 100% biodegradable , thermo-insulating foam-packaging material to be used in fast food restaurants for food, ice cream and drinks

Fig.: Some commercial bio-based packagings