Sustainable and novel tood packaging based on agro-industrial by-products and natural antimicrobials from the mediterranean area – SuN4Med

The production and distribution of food result in a significant amount of waste and losses. The FAO reports that one third of the food quantity produced annually for human consumption is lost or wasted through the supply chain. Meanwhile, petrochemical polymers are commonly used as packaging materials, despite their non-biodegradability, production of significant greenhouse gases and potential harm to human health. In response, the concept of food packaging and coating materials based on biodegradable polymers has emerged as a more sustainable option. The SuN4Med project aims at proposing solutions to prolong the shelf life of foods, to reduce food waste and lost, and to improve safety by developing biodegradable and antimicrobial food packaging and coating through a circular economy (valorization of agro-industrial wastes) and a green chemistry (use of eco-solvents and low-energy processes) approaches.
SuN4Med project plans to combine cellulose extracted from hazelnut or almond shells or prickly pear peels with potato peel starch, or with pectin from citrus peels or grape pomace to create composites. Hydroxyapatite will be used as a cross-linker. By combining these biopolymers, the resulting biodegradable packaging material could offer enhanced mechanical and barrier properties compared to the existing ones. The new composites combined with natural antimicrobials extracted from agro-industrial by-products, increase the shelf life of foods and present several potential advantages compared to current packages on the market.
SuN4Med project is composed of a consortium of 12 partners (8 academic and 4 industrial partners). Starting with TRL 2, we expect to have at least two demonstrators to launch at the industrial level. These biocomposites will be versatile, to be implemented in the future for a new generation of food films, and this new concept of composite should reach TRL 7 with the help of our industrial partners at the end of the project.