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