“One of the main objectives of Nafispack is to develope polymeric materials using different processing strategies such as coating, extrusion and material functionalisation”
Key areas of research
In order to fulfil these global objectives the following detail specific areas of research will be develop:
- Evaluation of suitability/feasibility of Natural Antimicrobials for food packaging applications.
- Identification of some natural antimicrobials agents having the highest possibilities of being incorporated in packaging materials and being effective against the most common and dangerous target microorganisms which may be present in the target foods preliminarily chosen (fresh fish, chicken and minimally processed vegetables).
- Development of effective antimicrobial food materials for package design.
- Development of polymeric materials which include the natural antimicrobians using different processing strategies such as coating, extrusion and material functionalisation. Characterisation of their mode of action and efficiency for the target food will be studied. Tailoring controlled release of active agents by use of novel technologies such as encapsulation and nanotechnologies.
- Design and up scaling in pilot plants the materials previously developed to obtain a real food packaging systems. Additional advantages such as easy-to-open characteristics will be also aimed. This work will be performed together with industrial partners.
- Development of intelligent food packaging solutions. Tailored indicator materials that react to the presence of the quality indicating metabolites, hence providing rapid, low cost, package integrated ways to determine the quality and safety of the target food in consumer packages through the logistics chain from producer to consumer will be developed.
- Provide risk assessments and new risk assessment models for new active and intelligent packaging solutions developed (microbiology, migration and toxicology).
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of the developed packaging solutions for providing a longer shelf-life by maintaining the chemical, physical and sensorial quality of the foods on a higher level than existing packages do.
- Obtain tools to assure recyclability of the new packaging solutions developed, and assess the risk versus the benefit for these materials to be used as recycled materials.
