Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Assessment of bio-functional properties of new smart and sustainable p...
Coordinator
Coordinator
Coordinator
Coordinator
Partner
Smart and sustainable bio-based active food packaging (e.g., biopolymers from food waste/by- products upcycling, thin films and coatings incorporating bioactive compounds) (in connection with Spokes 3 and 4).
Development at a pilot scale of at least 2/3 smart and sustainable packaging solutions from upcycling of food waste/by-products (M36)
Testing of safety, efficacy sustainability and dynamic shelf-life of the developed smart and sustainable packaging solutions (M36).
The main role of packaging materials and technologies is to preserve food and protect it from external chemical, physical and biological hazards to guarantee a high quality during storage and improve its shelf life. Nowadays, smart and sustainable bio-based active food packaging materials are gaining more interest as a potential alternative for traditional and environmentally-impact plastic packaging. However, these innovative solutions often have lower protective properties than traditional plastic films, so assessing the efficacy of the smart packaging solutions applied to food products is crucial. In particular, it is necessary to evaluate the bioactive compound content, bio-functional properties, safety, efficacy, sustainability, and dynamic shelf-life of the novel packaging application to be properly compared to the traditional one. This comparison is very useful in making new smart packaging solutions more attractive from an economic point of view.
The research activities focus on two main aspects:
1. Assessment of functional characteristics of the developed packaging solutions
Determination of physical characteristics of packaging systems (e.g., mechanical properties, gas permeability, etc.) (CNR, UNIBO).
Evaluation of biological activities incorporated in intelligent/smart packaging systems (antioxidant, antimicrobial capacity) (CNR, UNIMI).
Investigation of the mass transport phenomena (OTR, WVTR) and design of a respiration model for headspace gas evolution prediction (CNR, POLIMI, UNIBO).
Triggering systems, stability, and safety evaluation of the new materials, according to the food contact compliance laws and results obtained in Task 2.1.3 (UNIMI).
2. Efficacy of developed packaging solutions for packed foods
Estimation of shelf life and physiological, nutritional, chemical-physical characteristics, and microbiological safety parameters of food packed with the developed packaging solutions, including fresh and perishable foods (e.g., fruits and vegetables) (CNR, UNIBO).
Efficacy and effectiveness of in vitro and in vivo tests (commercial and dynamic shelf-life tests) on high perishable foods (i.e., meat, fish, cheese) (UNIMI).
