Circulating Food Loss and Waste into Active Packaging: An Innovative Approach by Chalmers

In alignment with the goals of the SISTERS project to combat food loss and waste, Chalmers is pioneering an innovative active packaging solution. This initiative aims to extend the shelf life of food products, thereby preventing food loss and waste generation. Besides, it focuses on transforming inedible parts of vegetable by-products into bioactive ingredients for active packaging, further contributing to the reduction of food loss and waste.

A key aspect of this approach is using environmentally friendly methods such as pressurized hot water extraction to obtain bioactive compounds. These compounds are then integrated into PLA-based flow pack packaging and stretch film, developed in collaboration with project partners.

Key Findings

Among the various vegetable by-products tested, artichoke leaf extract demonstrated the most significant potential in terms of extraction yield and bioactivity, positioning it as an ideal candidate for active PLA-based packaging. The bioactive extracts from artichoke leaves provided several benefits, confirming the effectiveness of the active packaging:

  • Antibacterial Properties: The extracts effectively inhibited the growth of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, which are primary contributors to food spoilage.

  • Antioxidant Properties: The extracts exhibited high free radical scavenging activity, making them vital for preserving foods with high lipid content -nuts, meat, and fishery products- from lipid oxidation, a significant cause of spoilage.

  • Mechanical Properties: Incorporating the extracts into PLA films resulted in a beneficial softening effect, improving the performance of stretch films.

Next Steps

Chalmers is now developing an active coating for PLA-based containers provided by SISTERS partners GAIA and ITC Packaging. This coating is expected to enhance PLA functionalities, including UV and gas barriers, as well as antibacterial and antioxidant properties, without compromising mechanical strength. Moreover, since the heat-sensitive bioactive compounds will not undergo thermal treatment during PLA processing, they are anticipated to maintain greater effectiveness compared to traditional blending methods.