EMBRAPA edible packaging films Announces

Researchers at the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa) developed edible films for packaging using as raw material remains of different foods like spinach, papaya, guava, tomatoes, among others. The work of two decades ago was executed within the network of Nanotechnology Applied to agribusiness (AgroNano) by Embrapa instrumentation, of São Paulo, and received investments of only $ 200,000.
"We can use the waste food industry to manufacture the material, this ensures two features of sustainability: the use of food waste and replacing synthetic packaging that would be discarded," he said, in a statement, the Chief General of Embrapa, Luiz Henrique Capparelli Mattoso Instrumentation, who coordinated the survey, noting that the work to develop films from tropical fruits is a pioneer in the world.
The material, he said, have physical characteristics similar to those of conventional plastics, such as resistance and texture, and is equal ability to protect food. However, the fact could be ingested opens a vast field to be explored by the packaging industry. Birds wrapped in bags containing the seasoning in their composition, sachets of soups that can dissolve with its contents in boiling water and many other possibilities.
The difference is in the raw material. The edible plastic is made mainly of dehydrated food mixed with a nanomaterial which has the function to call set. "The greatest challenge of this research was to find the ideal formulation, the recipe of ingredients and proportions so that the material had the features we needed," noted the Materials engineer José Manoel Marconcini, Embrapa researcher who participated in the research.
Process-the researcher explains that the food used as feedstock for freeze-drying process goes, that is, a type of dehydration in which, after the freezing of food, all the water contained in it turns solid state directly into gas, without passing through the liquid phase.
The result, according to the researcher, is a food completely dehydrated with the advantage of keeping their nutritional properties. It can be applied to many different foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and even some types of seasonings, which explains the great diversity of edible raw materials, which prints the flavor and the color of the packaging.
The boss-Embrapa feral believes edible plastic Instrumentation may also contribute to reduce another problem: the food waste. In addition to waste on condition that the food industry does not use, there are many vegetables that are no longer marketed by not showing good visual aspect, even though in terms of consumption.
"These vegetables would spoil on the shelf may be raw material for packing edible", believes the expert who has glimpsed partners among companies of the branch so that the results achieved in the laboratory was developed as a commercial product.
For the new packaging Mattoso can also receive raw materials from a booming market, the ready-to-eat foods. He pointed out that this is a business that produces many residues such as bark and small pieces. He gives as an example the cenouretes calls that are carved into small pieces of carrot. For the specialist, the leftovers of this process could become raw material for plastic with legumes.