New packaging made of crab and grapefruit

A team formed by a student and a professor at the National University of Singapore has developed a natural material for packing foods made with edible elements that double the shelf life of perishable foods. The film is composed of Chitosan, an extract of sugar from the shell of crabs and other crustaceans, infused with a Grapefruit seed extract (GFSE). The new packaging material enhances the safety and quality of food, and is also environmentally friendly. Chitosan is a natural and biodegradable polymer that is highly compatible with living tissues; is non-toxic, prevents the development of fungi, decomposes quickly and has an excellent ability to form a film. GFSE is an antioxidant and has great antiseptic, antibacterial, germicidal properties, fungicides and antivirals the composite film is free of chemical additives. Only a plasticizer, an additive that enhances the plasticity of the material and is safe for human consumption, is added to avoid that the film be brittle. The process of making small quantities of material takes only one day, a thin layer of GFSE filtrate is injected in a Petri dish and then Chitosan powder is added. The solution is taken to dry in an oven and gradually turns into a transparent film. This formula took three years to be refined and laboratory tests with bread samples showed that the packaged foods with the new sheath lasted twice as a product packed with conventional synthetic packing. The material has a mechanical strength and flexibility similar to synthetic polyethylene film normally used to pack food. It effectively blocks the ultraviolet rays emitted by normal and fluorescent lamps that can cause oxidation and photochemical degradation of food. Finally, increase the shelf life of the products means reducing food waste and the use of plastic, since most of the world plastic production is used to pack food. The researchers estimate that the package will take around three to five years to hit the shelves of the supermarkets. Currently, there are two main challenges to large-scale commercial production of packing: the film costs approximately 30% more than conventional food packaging, and larger quantities may take longer to be produced.