Intelligent food packaging materials
With the aim of keeping food fresher longer, partners in the BIOPACK project took a "fresh" look at packaging materials. Exposure to microbes in the ambient air can prematurely spoil a number of perishables, such as cheese. The BIOPACK consortium took the traditional plastic wrap used to prevent spoilage one step further by incorporating preservatives into the packaging itself. BIOPACK partner, Cyclolab successfully complexed a well-known antimicrobial agent, allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), with cylcodextrins (CDs), whose structure is geared to hosting guest molecules. The technology was matured from the gram to the kilogram scale in order to produce large quantities. The impregnated CDs were then integrated onto a polylactide (PLA) film, making the final product fully biodegradable. The new packaging material works by selectively varying the release of the encapsulated preservative according to the current environmental (temperature and humidity) conditions. In this way, the cheese is protected against mould and other potentially harmful developments. With respect to commercial exploitation, the outlook is bright since production costs of the intelligent packaging materials are on par with those of current market offerings. Apart from cheese, the new materials may also be tailored to effectively package and preserve other highly susceptible food products. Not only do the producer and consumer benefit, but also the environment since the new materials are more environmentally friendly than today's packaging materials.
