Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ECHOS (Exploring aCtive edible materials based on pHenolic-biocOnjugates from agro-industrial by-products for Sustainable and healthy future food packaging)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-01-01 bis 2025-12-31
The ECHOS project addresses the growing need for sustainable and circular food packaging solutions in line with the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and Bioeconomy Strategy. Conventional plastic packaging remains a major source of environmental pollution, while large volumes of agro-industrial by-products are generated every year with limited valorization. At the same time, food packaging must ensure food quality, safety, and shelf life, creating a demand for innovative materials that are both functional and environmentally responsible.
The overall objective of ECHOS was to develop bio-based, food-grade functional materials derived from agro-industrial side streams for application in sustainable and active food packaging. The project focused on the recovery of natural phenolic–carbohydrate structures using green extraction technologies, their biomimetic enzymatic modification, and their validation in edible coatings and bio-based polymer films.
ECHOS followed a clear pathway to impact, moving from sustainable resource recovery, through functional material design, to application-oriented validation. By demonstrating the technical feasibility of integrating natural extracts into edible coatings and PLA-based films, the project provides practical alternatives to fossil-based additives and synthetic packaging components.
The project contributes to multiple societal and environmental needs by supporting waste valorization, reduced reliance on fossil resources, and improved food preservation, thereby helping to reduce food waste. At the scientific and technological levels, ECHOS delivers new knowledge on green extraction, enzymatic polysaccharide modification, and structure–property relationships in bio-based packaging materials.
Overall, ECHOS lays the groundwork for future industrial uptake and upscaling of bio-based packaging solutions, reinforcing Europe’s transition toward a sustainable, circular, and bio-based economy, while also strengthening scientific capacity and public awareness in this field..
The overall objective of ECHOS was to develop bio-based, food-grade functional materials derived from agro-industrial side streams for application in sustainable and active food packaging. The project focused on the recovery of natural phenolic–carbohydrate structures using green extraction technologies, their biomimetic enzymatic modification, and their validation in edible coatings and bio-based polymer films.
ECHOS followed a clear pathway to impact, moving from sustainable resource recovery, through functional material design, to application-oriented validation. By demonstrating the technical feasibility of integrating natural extracts into edible coatings and PLA-based films, the project provides practical alternatives to fossil-based additives and synthetic packaging components.
The project contributes to multiple societal and environmental needs by supporting waste valorization, reduced reliance on fossil resources, and improved food preservation, thereby helping to reduce food waste. At the scientific and technological levels, ECHOS delivers new knowledge on green extraction, enzymatic polysaccharide modification, and structure–property relationships in bio-based packaging materials.
Overall, ECHOS lays the groundwork for future industrial uptake and upscaling of bio-based packaging solutions, reinforcing Europe’s transition toward a sustainable, circular, and bio-based economy, while also strengthening scientific capacity and public awareness in this field..
The ECHOS project successfully implemented all planned scientific and technical activities, resulting in validated processes and functional bio-based materials for sustainable food packaging applications. The work focused on the valorization of agro-industrial side streams through green extraction, biomimetic modification, and application-oriented material validation.
Green extraction methodologies were developed and optimized to recover functional phenolic–carbohydrate structures from a range of agro-industrial biomasses. Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE) was established as an effective acid-free hydrothermal process for citrus pectin recovery from orange, lemon, and lime peels, achieving competitive yields (up to ~20% relative to the initial biomass) while reducing chemical inputs and environmental impact. A broad biomass screening enabled the identification of coffee silverskin as a phenolic-rich source and citrus peels as a high-yield carbohydrate source. Comprehensive structural, physicochemical, antioxidant, and techno-functional characterization confirmed the suitability of the recovered pectins for further functionalization and material development. Enzymatic demethylation using pectin methyl esterase enabled controlled tailoring of pectin properties, expanding their functional versatility.
Building on these results, a biomimetic enzymatic strategy was developed to produce food-grade phenolic–carbohydrate conjugates. Phenolic extracts from coffee silverskin were successfully grafted onto citrus-derived pectins using oxidative enzymes, resulting in covalently modified polysaccharides with enhanced antioxidant activity, modified rheological behavior, and preserved thermal stability. Structural analyses confirmed effective phenolic incorporation, and an optimal extract-to-enzyme ratio was identified to balance grafting efficiency and polymer integrity. This approach demonstrated a reproducible and scalable route to active biopolymer ingredients derived entirely from food side streams.
The application potential of the developed materials was demonstrated through the preparation of edible films and coatings. Key functional properties relevant to food packaging, including water vapor barrier performance, surface characteristics, and solubility, were evaluated. The materials were applied as edible coatings on fresh fruit, and their ability to preserve quality during storage was assessed through weight loss, texture, and color stability measurements. In parallel, the feasibility of incorporating natural extracts into PLA-based films using extrusion and blown-film extrusion was explored, providing insight into alternative, industry-relevant processing routes for active packaging materials.
Overall, the ECHOS project delivered technically validated green extraction processes, biomimetic functional biopolymers, and proof-of-concept applications, fully achieving its scientific and technological objectives and providing a solid foundation for future upscaling and industrial implementation.
Green extraction methodologies were developed and optimized to recover functional phenolic–carbohydrate structures from a range of agro-industrial biomasses. Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE) was established as an effective acid-free hydrothermal process for citrus pectin recovery from orange, lemon, and lime peels, achieving competitive yields (up to ~20% relative to the initial biomass) while reducing chemical inputs and environmental impact. A broad biomass screening enabled the identification of coffee silverskin as a phenolic-rich source and citrus peels as a high-yield carbohydrate source. Comprehensive structural, physicochemical, antioxidant, and techno-functional characterization confirmed the suitability of the recovered pectins for further functionalization and material development. Enzymatic demethylation using pectin methyl esterase enabled controlled tailoring of pectin properties, expanding their functional versatility.
Building on these results, a biomimetic enzymatic strategy was developed to produce food-grade phenolic–carbohydrate conjugates. Phenolic extracts from coffee silverskin were successfully grafted onto citrus-derived pectins using oxidative enzymes, resulting in covalently modified polysaccharides with enhanced antioxidant activity, modified rheological behavior, and preserved thermal stability. Structural analyses confirmed effective phenolic incorporation, and an optimal extract-to-enzyme ratio was identified to balance grafting efficiency and polymer integrity. This approach demonstrated a reproducible and scalable route to active biopolymer ingredients derived entirely from food side streams.
The application potential of the developed materials was demonstrated through the preparation of edible films and coatings. Key functional properties relevant to food packaging, including water vapor barrier performance, surface characteristics, and solubility, were evaluated. The materials were applied as edible coatings on fresh fruit, and their ability to preserve quality during storage was assessed through weight loss, texture, and color stability measurements. In parallel, the feasibility of incorporating natural extracts into PLA-based films using extrusion and blown-film extrusion was explored, providing insight into alternative, industry-relevant processing routes for active packaging materials.
Overall, the ECHOS project delivered technically validated green extraction processes, biomimetic functional biopolymers, and proof-of-concept applications, fully achieving its scientific and technological objectives and providing a solid foundation for future upscaling and industrial implementation.
The ECHOS project has delivered significant advances in sustainable food packaging and bio-based materials, contributing to scientific, societal, economic, and environmental impact in line with the European Green Deal and circular bioeconomy objectives. Scientifically, the project demonstrated that acid-free hydrothermal Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE) is a sustainable and effective method for recovering pectins from citrus peels, providing new insights into how extraction conditions influence structural features, esterification patterns, and functional properties. A biomimetic enzymatic approach was successfully developed to graft phenolic compounds onto pectin backbones, producing functional carbohydrate–phenolic conjugates with enhanced antioxidant and techno-functional properties, such as water and oil holding capacity and emulsifying behavior, suitable for food and packaging applications. Societally and environmentally, the project valorized agro-industrial by-products, including citrus peels and coffee silverskin, into functional materials, offering edible coatings as alternatives to conventional plastics, reducing waste and chemical usage, and lowering the overall environmental footprint. Economically, the results demonstrated the technical feasibility of industrially relevant processes, strengthened links with industrial partners such as CEAMSA and AITIIP Technology Centre, and generated protocols ready for technology transfer. Importantly, ECHOS lays the foundation for future research projects and EU proposals aimed at scaling up these technologies, expanding the range of biomass feedstocks and bio-based applications, and delivering innovative, industrially applicable solutions for circular bioeconomy-driven packaging and ingredient markets.