Page 58 - Plastics News August 2026
P. 58
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Scientists Develop Biodegradable Food Wrap Out
Of Rapeseed Waste
cientists have developed a biodegradable ions into nanoparticles of 60 nanometres. These
packaging film from rapeseed-processing particles were then mixed into film-forming solu-
Sleftovers, aiming to cut plastic use and tions.
extend the shelf life of fresh foods.Published
in Food Quality and Safety, the study was car- Compared with pure CS film, the version made
ried out by researchers at the School of Biologi- with rapeseed-cake extract and silver nanopar-
cal Engineering at Dalian Polytechnic University ticles showed tensile strength rising from 8.1MPa
to 17.0MPa.
The water contact angle also rose from 55.7
0
0
to 87.2 , suggesting a lower attraction to water.
Among the different formulations, the flower-
based film showed the highest antioxidant activ-
ity, recording 89.7% scavenging in the DPPH test
and 62.3% in the ABTS test.
The rapeseed-cake version also inhibited Es-
cherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In
food storage trials, coated cherry tomatoes kept
more weight, ascorbic acid and titratable acid-
ity than untreated samples. Enoki mushrooms
packed with the films showed reduced brown-
with INNOBIO Corporation. The film is based on ing and less microbial spoilage.Soil burial tests
chitosan (CS) and includes phenolic compounds found the films completely decomposed within
taken from rapeseed cake, flowers, stems and 21 days and did not significantly affect bok choy
leaves.
growth.
The team also produced silver nanoparticles The authors said the findings indicate that crop-
(AgNPs) from these plant extracts under mild processing residues may serve not only as raw
conditions and incorporated them into the CS material replacements but also as sources of
material.
useful chemical properties in packaging. They
According to the researchers, the resulting film also noted that commercial use would still re-
was designed to combine mechanical strength, quire larger-scale production methods, cost and
food preservation properties and rapid break- sensory evaluation, standardised food-contact
down in soil. testing and trials under transport and storage
conditions. EDS detected no silver on tested to-
Tests showed the extracts could reduce silver matoes, though the study described this only as
62 PLASTICS NEWS August 2026
