At present, the food on the market is mainly made of plastic packaging, but in addition to environmental pollution problems, plastics are also ineffective in maintaining food quality and safety. In this context, the development of alternative plastic products has become a major event in the global food packaging industry. According to industry insiders, the future of edible packaging will be very worth looking forward to.
Researchers are developing an edible milk protein material that can replace plastic products for use in food packaging. Most foods are packaged in plastic and cannot be recycled and biodegraded. To make matters worse, in some cases, plastics may leach harmful substances into the food.
Researchers presented their work at the 252th National Meeting & Exposition, sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Philadelphia. The event has more than 9,000 reports on scientific research. Research team leader Peggy Tomasula, D.Sc, said that packaging paper made from protein can effectively prevent food spoilage and food waste.
Casein is better than starch
Researchers at the US Department of Agriculture are working on an edible film made from casein, claiming that it is 500 times more powerful than a plastic film. The feedstock for the edible film is derived from milk and is therefore biodegradable and sustainable.
No health problems
Tomasula responded to DairyReporter about whether the film made from the dairy product would affect lactose intolerance. He said that the film contained no lactose. “We use casein as a model for researching films. We will use Other dairy products as raw materials in the future. These products will not have health problems. But because the film contains milk protein, it cannot be used to package or layer fruits and vegetables. ."
Citrus pectin
The researchers said that their first attempt to use pure casein to make such a film can effectively block oxygen, but the manufacturing process is more complicated and the film is easily dissolved in water. By adding citrus pectin to casein to improve the manufacturing process, the film is stronger, more resistant to moisture and high temperatures. After making some additional adjustments, the shape of the film is similar to that of a commercially available product, but with more flexibility. The edible film material is almost entirely derived from protein.
The future of edible packaging
According to research, nutritional supplements can also be used in future edible packaging, including vitamins, microecological preparations and health supplements. Since the film has almost no taste, the fragrance can also be used therein.
Another leader of the study, Dr. Laetitia Bonnaillie, said: “The film is used in the coatings market and the market prospects are very good. We are currently testing related applications, such as individually packaged edible food wrappers. For example, a single package of cheese sticks uses a lot of plastic, and we will come up with a solution for this."
Grain potential
Since the individual packaging requires a hygienic environment, it is still wrapped in a large plastic or paper container and placed on the store shelves to avoid moisture and dust. In addition to being made into plastic bags and wrappers, films made from casein can be sprayed directly onto foods such as cereals such as cereals. At present, cereals soaked in milk are mainly kept brittle by covering a layer of sugar on the outer layer. This method can be used on pizza or other food packaging to prevent grease from soiling the package, or as a paper or cardboard box, as well as delamination of plastic bags. The US Food and Drug Administration has recently banned the use of perfluorinated substances in food packaging, and casein has become a good alternative to safe, biodegradable. Bonnaillie said her group is currently making prototype film samples for a small company in Texas, and this attempt has also attracted the interest of other companies. She expects that the packaging film made from this casein can appear on the store shelves within three years.
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