Description du projet
Des emballages alimentaires à base de matériaux biodégradables
Dans un souci de préservation de l’environnement, l’industrie de l’emballage des denrées alimentaires connaît une importante mutation avec le développement de matériaux avancés biosourcés et biodégradables. Les polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHA) constituent de bons candidats, mais l’absorption de l’humidité et l’insuffisance de propriétés de barrière ont limité leur utilisation en tant que matériaux d’emballage des denrées alimentaires, entravant leur adoption généralisée en tant qu’alternative aux polymères conventionnels. Le projet BioBarr, financé par l’UE, entend améliorer les fonctions de barrière des PHA et valider de nouveaux matériaux destinés à l’emballage de produits de boulangerie sélectionnés, considérés comme des «études de cas», dans le but d’augmenter leur durée de conservation. Afin d’améliorer les performances de barrière des emballages alimentaires, BioBarr étudiera divers traitements de surface et une nouvelle technique consistant à laminer les PHA avec de l’acide polylactique.
Objectif
BioBarr concerns the development of new bio-based and biodegradable food packaging materials by enhancing barrier functionalities to the biopolymer PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) and by validating the new material in the food industry environment.
PHAs is potential substitute for conventional polymers, since they possess similar properties; respect to polylactic acid (the most widespread biobased/biodegradable material), PHAs show higher biodegradability and better functional properties and mechanical strength.
However, applications of PHAs as food packaging materials are subjected to some limitations. PHA shows medium values of O2 and H2O transmittance while many the most critical factors for some foods (such dry products as bakeries) in relation to packaging are moisture uptake leading to loss of crispiness and oxidation of fats.
For overcoming this limiting factor in PHA food applications, BioBarr aims to enhance PHA vapour and gas barrier properties through material functionalization.
In the first research line, the approach consists of the use of biodegradable materials with adequate properties to be compounded in multi-layer structures specific for the food product category to be packed, in order to optimize functional properties. The innovation consists of laminating PHA with PLA (polylactic acid).
The second challenging research line in BioBarr is surface treatments (nanoform metallization with AlOx or SiOx or metallization Aluminum process) of PHA films.
New materials will be validated on a restricted number of food products in the sector of bakery, representative of different shelf-life requirements and duration, with the purpose to increase shelf-life at least by 10%.
Final impact will be the creation of a new biobased value chain. Proposal takes into account the needs and the growth opportunities of actors operating in each value chain step: bioplastic producer, extrusion and filming actors, converter, inks producers, food industries end-users
Champ scientifique
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbioplasticspolylactic acid
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films
- engineering and technologyother engineering and technologiesfood technologyfood packaging
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterialsbioplasticspolyhydroxyalkanoates
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybioprocessing technologiesfermentation
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
BBI-RIA - Bio-based Industries Research and Innovation actionCoordinateur
20124 Milano
Italie
L’entreprise s’est définie comme une PME (petite et moyenne entreprise) au moment de la signature de la convention de subvention.