12.08.2024
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Packaging innovation thrives in the fight against food waste
The way food is packaged plays an important role in the fight against food waste. And that’s where a lot of innovation comes in.
Fresh food producers around the world are developing packaging that can help them reduce food and plastic waste, responding to regulatory and consumer pressure to minimize the environmental impact of their products.
Such bio-innovation could be of particular importance to food companies operating in the EU as the bloc revises its Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.
The EU will turn it into a regulation that will be directly applicable throughout the EU, which will strengthen the requirements for reducing packaging waste streams and increasing their recyclability. A spokesperson for the European Fresh Produce Association, Freshfel, says that while it expected the new law to harmonize EU rules on packaging waste more closely, it insists that EU ministers and MEPs not regulate fresh produce packaging more strictly than canned and bottled products.
The EU is spending money on such research, with a potential €126.5 million ($135.5 million) through its Horizon Europe research program.
But innovation does not stop there. For example, Barcelona-based Spanish startup Bio2Coat develops 100% natural edible vacuum bags, resealable bags, and semi-rigid trays.
The company was founded in December 2020, initially developing edible coatings based on food-grade biopolymers for apples, pears, citrus, tropical fruits, red fruits, and cucumbers, allowing consumers to eat the packaging with the product.
Bio2Coat is now exploring the potential of adding natural extracts and flavors to such packaging to give it, for example, a tomato or chocolate flavor. The company is also exploring a configuration that will allow the packaging to dissolve when placed in water.
Speaking about the plans, Bio2Coat’s chief technology officer, Solon Cunha, says he sees a “huge unexplored market” for his products in Spain and wants to commercialize them in that country this year before expanding sales to the rest of Europe.
Similar innovations have been published in scientific papers. Researchers from the College of Food Science and Engineering at Yangzhou University, China, said last June that they had developed smart packaging films by incorporating the purple anthocyanins of sweet potatoes and purple cabbage into films made from locust bean gum, chitosan (from shellfish skeletons) and carrageenan (an edible seaweed extract). The potato/cabbage elements increase antioxidant activity, contributing to preservation, and also improve film uniformity, light resistance and storage stability.
In an article published in September 2022, researchers from the SCAMT Institute of ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia, suggested that packaging manufacturers use 3D printing to create smart packaging that includes “self-indicating, multifunctional smart components using biocompatible, non-toxic materials.” The use of 3D printing will allow manufacturers to produce such bio-packaging “cheaper than traditional production methods,” which will make “intelligent food packaging more widespread and, in turn, reduce food waste….,” the document says.
In Japan, research and development departments are trying to convince more food consumers to adopt a new technology that is gaining popularity in Japan – skin packaging.
This technology involves the use of a transparent plastic film to tightly seal the product to the inner card-based packaging, which ensures better taste, longer shelf life, no leakage, and easy handling and disposal.
However, despite these advantages, Tokyo-based meat processor Starzen Co. and Kobe-based national supermarket chain Daiei have found that the dark color of the meat caused by the displacement of oxygen has proven unpopular with some customers. The problem is that the packaging is used for higher grades of meat such as steaks, especially expensive wagyu beef steaks that are typically eaten on holidays, making the extended shelf life useful for consumers who plan such meals a few days before the holiday.
The darker color is a natural result of removing all the oxygen that preserves the meat in the leather packaging, so companies are now focusing on educating consumers that darker meat is still fresh – Japanese consumers generally believe that red meat is fresher. Sumitomo Bakelite’s packaging innovation center is one example – they invite people on-site to show them the technology and help them understand why meat darkens, in hopes of increasing demand for leather packaging.
Tokyo-based plastics manufacturer Sumitomo Bakelite Packaging Innovation Center, which opened in November 2021, is another innovator in the field, and its specialists are looking to “create new value and develop the market for meat packaging applications.” They are focused on configuring leather packaging in such a way that it enhances the “unami flavor” of meat and fish lines – referring to a key characteristic sought by Japanese consumers – a savory hue that deepens the flavor, according to the company’s November 2022 report.
Freshness through innovative packaging is also a top priority for international food company Ajinomoto Co. In 2022, it teamed up with research and development company Shirouma Science Co Ltd from Toyama Prefecture, packaging manufacturer Fuji Seal International Inc from Osaka, and packaging manufacturer Rengo Co. from Tokyo to create the Pure Select Fresh Keep Bottle for mayonnaise. A valve in the lid prevents oxygen from entering the bottle during use, thereby extending the shelf life of the condiment after opening.
Another area of research and development for developing sustainable smart food packaging that can extend the shelf life of food and reduce waste is nanotechnology. Researchers from Harvard University’s Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University have created a packaging material using biodegradable corn protein, starch and other naturally occurring biopolymers, as well as “natural antimicrobials,” that protects food from harmful bacteria and microorganisms that spoil food.
The packaging is made primarily from a corn protein called zein, which is produced from corn gluten meal, a byproduct of ethanol production, and other biopolymers extracted from food waste.
It contains nanoscale fibers produced by electrospinning and impregnated with natural antimicrobial compounds, including thyme oil and citric acid. In experiments, the researchers found that strawberries wrapped in the packaging stayed fresh for seven days before mold developed, compared to strawberries stored in traditional plastic fruit boxes that stayed fresh for only four days.
“Because this protection is only provided when needed, the flavor and composition of the food in the package is preserved,” said Philip Democritou, an adjunct professor of environmental health at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School and director of the Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology, in a Harvard Biotechnology Institute fact sheet.
Innovations in preventing the breakdown of packaged foods can be found not only in the packaging itself – external devices can also help preserve these foods.
For example, in Milan and Pordenone, in northern Italy, the technology company Vitesy has developed an air filter for the refrigerator that can extend the shelf life of store-bought fruits and vegetables by up to 12 days.
The company persuaded 4,300 supporters to contribute to the initiative, raising more than 470,000 euros in just three months.
The result is a smart refrigerator cleaner called Shelfy, launched in November 2022 for mass sale in June (2023), and already taking pre-orders. It uses photocatalytic technology to remove odors and bacteria in the air around packaged and bulk foods by decomposing the molecules responsible for ripening fresh fruits and vegetables.
It has a washable filter, and the device itself is made of recycled plastic, has low power consumption and needs to be replaced only every 6-12 months. “With our products, you can save money and not throw anything away,” Aisha Vendruscolo, community manager at Vitesy, tells Just Food.