Researchers study natural packaging materials

The next time you sit down to a lobster dinner, think about how the animal’s shell would look ground up and coextruded into a protective film to guard against food spoilage.

It’s nearly impossible to do, because that film would be thousands of times thinner than a human hair.

Chitosan is an antibacterial polysaccharide derived from the shells of crustaceans being used in new active nanomaterials packaging. Research scientist José María Lagarón said this is an example of the work being done in European laboratories to prolong product shelf life.

Lagarón works at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos (IATA) in Valencia, Spain.

Speaking at the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Antec conference 7 May in Milwaukee, Lagarón said his novel materials and nanotechnology group is working on several projects.

These involve nanoclay films and nanofibers that can be combined with bioplastics to improve food safety and appearance. They achieve this by causing products, packaging and the environment to interact in a positive way.

“These are natural systems that are extracted from plants or even fruits, and we’re trying to implement them into packaging systems,” he said. “They can act as barriers to delay [bacteria] migration.”

IATA’s latest project combines a biodegradable polyester with a nanoclay containing Thymol, a plant-based ingredient used in many commercial mouthwashes.

The institute’s research is geared towards producing nanobiocomposites that processors can tailor to a packaging customer’s specific food-storage needs.

The trick, Lagarón said, is getting the nanoadditives to enhance the barrier properties of biofilms and also to control the release of germ-killing agents.

He added: “If you’re looking for ... packaging in a supermarket shelf, you want to have a standard [antibacterial] release; we need to have it for a long time. If you want a packaging system that is for fresh meat ... we need to have an immediate release, so the food pathogens will not grow there. It’s all about controlling that.”

Lagarón said IATA’s ultimate goal is to create natural solutions to food-packaging problems encountered with bioplastics, while keeping the plastics biodegradable.