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days instead of three. Fungal growth was further delayed eases the spread of dangerous bacteria like Salmonella,
to 10 days if GFSE was incorporated into the chitosan film, Listeria, E.Coli and Staphylococcus Aureus. Until now,
the scientists discovered. The next-generation wrap also packaging companies fought these microbes with silver or
blocks out ultraviolet light, which degrades food due to nano-silver. Nano-particles are particularly hazardous, as
oxidation and photochemical deterioration reactions. The they can easily become loose and be inhaled or digested
by humans. Moreover, these materials are usually only
researchers added a food-grade plasticizer to the chitosan- used as a coating, whose function degrades over time.
based wrap to make it less brittle. Parx Plastics has come up with a solution to create an
The fabrication process, which takes less than a day, antibacterial tray for meats, poultry and fish, that does
involves mixing a solution of powdered chitosan and GFSE, not contain any harmful elements. On the contrary, it
filtering it, and then syringing a thin layer onto a petri uses the natural trace mineral Zinc, which is essential for
dish. After drying in an oven, the solution turns into a the proper functioning of the human body. The company's
transparent film. Larger sample sizes may take longer to invention - an antibacterial polymer, called Sanipolymers
produce, Yi Min adds. Presently, the researchers estimate - securely incorporates Zinc within the material itself,
that the film costs about 30% more than normal food wrap which means that it cannot exit the material or wear
to produce, but they anticipate that a commercialized out. Zinc prevents the cells of bacteria from multiplying,
product will be priced similarly to its plastic counterparts. which eventually leads to cellular death. This is why
The biodegradable wrap is about three to five years away the packaging was found to have 93-97% less bacteria
from being sold on supermarket shelves. "Extending the on its surface after 24 hours, compared to conventional
shelf-life of food products also means reducing food waste, packaging.
and as a result, reducing the rate of global food loss," said
one of the researchers, Tan Yi Min. "This will bring about On the other side Scientists in the US are developing an
both environmental and economic benefits." edible packaging film made almost entirely of the milk
The most basic and essential purpose of food packaging, protein casein. The packaging looks similar to store-
especially when used for items like raw meat, fish and bought cling film, but it is less stretchy and is up to 500
dairy products, is to protect the packaged food from times better at keeping oxygen away from food, thereby
any type of contamination that will alter its microbial preventing food spoilage. Because they are derived from
and physiochemical qualities. A Dutch start up has milk, the films are biodegradable, sustainable and edible.
created a material that can reduce the amount of They do not have much taste, the researchers say, but
harmful bacteria growing inside food packaging by 97%. flavourings and nutritious additives such as vitamins,
Environmental conditions favorable to bacterial growth, probiotics and nutraceuticals could be included in the
such as sufficient nutrition, high humidity and suitable future.
ambient temperature, are found on package trays. This
“The coating applications for this product are endless,”
says Laetitia Bonnaillie, co-leader of the research team
from the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural
Research Service. “We are currently testing applications
such as single-serve, edible food wrappers. For instance,
individually wrapped cheese sticks use a large proportion
of plastic – we would like to fix that.” Bonnaillie and
co-leader Peggy Tomasula presented their work over the
weekend at the 252nd National Meeting & Exposition of
the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia. Bonnaillie
says her team is currently creating prototype film samples
for a small company in Texas, and the development
has secured interest among other companies too. The
• January 2017 • Plastics News 32
