Edible Films Created for Food Packaging

Edible Films Created for Food Packaging

An international group of scientists from India and Russia has created edible food transparent films for packaging fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat, and seafood. Films consist of natural ingredients, they are safe for health and the environment. In addition, films are water-soluble and dissolve by almost 90% in 24 hours. Description of the research and results of experiments are published in the Journal of Food Engineering.
"We have created three types of food super clear films based on the well-known naturally occurring seaweed biopolymer sodium alginate," said Rammohan Aluru, senior researcher Organic synthesis laboratory at Ural Federal University and co-author of the paper. "Its molecules have film-forming properties. Sodium alginate is an auspicious carbohydrate macromolecule that has the potential film-forming properties upon hydrolysis and abundantly existed in cell walls as a mixture of various salts. The greatest advantage of sodium alginate is that it performs as liquid-gel in an aqueous medium."

Alginate molecules were cross-linked with a natural antioxidant ferulic acid. It makes the film not only strong, but also homogeneous, more rigid, and prolongs the life of the products.

"Food stays fresh longer due to the antioxidant components that slow down the oxidation processes," said Grigory Zyryanov, professor of the Department of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry at Ural Federal University. "In addition, we can add to the films natural antiviral agents, which will also extend the shelf life of food. Garlic, turmeric, and ginger contain compounds that may prevent the spread of the viruses."

According to the authors, no special equipment for the production of films is required. On an industrial scale, it can be created by food products and films manufacturers.

"It can also be produced at a polymer production plant. The only condition is that it must meet the standards that apply to food production. And if an inexhaustible source of algae the ocean is nearby it will be quite simple to create such films," said Grigory Zyryanov.

A plastic embossed film having a random embossed matte finish is provided. The random embossed matte film may be wound very easily into rolls and the roll contour achieved has superior uniformity. In addition, the film provides relatively equal tape adhesion and gloss properties on both sides which make it especially suitable for use in articles such as disposable diapers or underpads. Another advantageous property that renders it especially suitable for diaper conversion operations is its very low degree of edge curl. The clear embossed film provides a totally different appearance as compared to conventional diaper films in that the overall appearance is a dull matte finish but nonetheless having slight sparkles of brilliance throughout the surface, and it further provides a softer feel.

As the name suggests, decorative film is aesthetically pleasing. This type of window film can serve two purposes: it can make the workplace not as dull, plus it can attract customers from the outside.

Decorative film can come in a number of patterns and colors, as well as opacity (such as gradients), and some places even let you make custom designs. You can include window film in your branding and create something that’s truly unique.

Since you can control the opacity of decorative film, not only can it brighten up your workplace, but it can also be an interesting type of privacy film. So instead of looking at plain window film every day, your employees can enjoy looking at interesting patterns.

Plasticiser (US: plasticizers) have been used for decades to make toys soft, flexible and safe by replacing or protecting sharp edges and avoiding brittleness which could result in a choking hazard. The use of some ortho-phthalates has been restricted in the European Union since December 1999. In 2005 the temporary restrictions were formalised in the Marketing and Use Directive which in turn was incorporated into Annex XVII of REACH. DEHP, DBP and BBP are restricted in all toys and childcare articles based on their reproductive properties. DINP, DIDP and DNOP are restricted in toys and childcare articles which can be placed in the mouth based on ECHA and RAC not being able to exclude a risk (due to mild liver effects seen at high doses in rat studies). The precise restrictions can be found in REACH Annex XVII (Paragraphs 51 and 52).