Today, food almost always comes wrapped in some sort of
plastic film or wrapper in order to prevent its contamination. Even though such
packaging is generally very safe, it’s certainly not unheard of for it to fail
in some way. That’s why a new EU project will seek to harness the power of
nanotechnology to develop even safer microbe-resistant food packaging.
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| Img source: Engadget |
The initiative behind the project is nothing new. In
November 2014, the EU revealed
similar plans to apply nanotech to cosmetics packaging; led by the
Technological Institute for Plastics (AIMPLAS) and the AINIA Technological
Centre. Both the earlier cosmetics-based research and that which is now being
applied to foods have been in close collaboration with NanoPack, a project which has previously
specialised in the production of ‘cost-effective, environmentally friendly
barrier materials for the packaging industry.’
According to Food Quality News, partners in the current project also include Constantia
Flexibles, Dawn Meats Group, Arla Foods, Vertech Group Stitching Effost and a
unit of Fraunhofer. This wide coalition
of food producers and research organisations for applied science are
financially backed by the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness.
The 2014 study found the deployment of nanoclay to provide cosmetic
packaging materials an increased gas barrier and better properties with regards
to strain- and thermal-resistance. The project this year, meanwhile, will focus
on the use of natural Halloysite Nanotubes (HNTs).
The project is, indeed, already moving ahead. There are
currently plans in place for it to test out its new materials in operational
environments, like food packaging manufacturing plants, which will be the scene
for the production of the materials themselves.
Whilst some potential for hiccups does exist (such as the
fact that the low-migratory bioactive compounds employed might end up migrating into the food itself), it’s fairly safe to feel a little
cautious optimism with regards the fact that this new endeavour could well
yield some very significant fruits in terms of food safety and the development
of both environmentally-friendly and cost-effective packaging solutions in the
future.
James Stannard
James has a Bachelor’s degree in History and
wrote his dissertation on beef and protest. His heroes list ranges from Adele
to Noam Chomsky: inspirations he’ll be invoking next year when he begins a
Master’s degree in London.
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