Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS
Content archived on 2024-06-18

Active Multilayer Packaging based on Optimized PLA formulations for Minimally Processed Vegetables and Fruits

Objective

Fresh Cut Products category refers to fresh vegetables, fruit and market garden products without thermal treatment, prepared, washed and packaged without the incorporation of additives or preservatives and, as an essential requirement, demands the maintenance of the cold chain for its perfect conservation and has a shelf life of approximately 7 days. PLA4FOOD proposal deals with the development of innovative active and biodegradable packaging for fresh-cut food products based on renewable resources thermoplastic materials (PLA-polylactic acid) functionalised with the synergic addition of additives from natural sources (antioxidants, antibacterial and antifungal) in order to increase the shelf-life of packed products. Different encapsulation routes will be tested to protect active additives from processing conditions and to have controlled migration rates. Additionally, to minimize PLA current limitations in flexibility, water barrier properties and processability different additives will be studied including bio-based lactic-acid plasticizers, inorganic nanofillers and organic nucleants. Co-extrusion techniques (blow-film and cast-sheet and thermoforming) will be developed to obtain multilayer structures from different PLA formulations, in order to achieve the best cost/benefit ratio and optimal performance of the active packaging by controlling the thickness and cristallinity of each layer. As a result of this combination of material advances and processing technology improvements, a high performance active food packaging beyond of current state of- the- art will be obtained. The new active and biodegradable packages from renewable sources will provide minimal processed fresh-cut products adequate protection against environmental agents, will improve product properties (quality, shelf-life, microbiological safety and nutritional values), and moreover, will degrade in composting conditions according to the standard UNE-EN 13432.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP7-SME-2010-1
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

BSG-SME - Research for SMEs

Coordinator

AIMPLAS - ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION DE MATERIALES PLASTICOS Y CONEXAS
EU contribution
€ 38 771,66
Address
VALENCIA PARC TECHNOLOGIC CALLE GUSTAVE EIFFEL 4
46980 Paterna
Spain

See on map

Region
Este Comunitat Valenciana Valencia/València
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Participants (9)

My booklet 0 0