EU-funded researchers have adapted two biodegradable plastics made from crop waste for use as food packaging.###Most plastics currently used to package food are made from petrochemicals and are not biodegradable.###While industry has been seeking greener, sustainable alternatives the solution has so far been elusive – food packaging must meet high quality and safety standards.###To help, the European Union has been funding research projects to develop greener, sustainable alternatives, cut waste and boost Europe’s competitiveness in alternative plastics.###Promising candidates have emerged from the SUSFOFLEX project, which produced novel packaging using polylactic acid (PLA), and from SUCCIPACK, which adapted polybutylene succinate (PBS) for use by the food industry.###PLA and PBS can be made from by-products left over from farming crops such as wheat, corn and beetroot.###The two plastics are biodegradable – they can be broken down into their basic constituents, such as water, carbon dioxide and compost.###Both projects laid the groundwork for the commercialization of PLA and PBS for food packaging.###Innovative package###SUSFOFLEX resulted in prototypes of a PLA-based plastic, an innovative pack design, and two types of sensors to indicate whether the food inside is safe to eat.###The project targeted pre-cut fruit products, an important market segment.##magnesium glycinate and citrate supplement#“These new active, intelligent and sustainable solutions are consumer-oriented, ensure the safety and quality of food, cut food losses, and reduce the environmental impact of food packaging,” says project coordinator Geza Toth of the University of Oulu in Finland.###The plastic could be adapted for other types of foods, such as cut vegetables, and meat, he adds.###SUSFOFLEX developed techniques to combine PLA with cellulose extracted from wheat straw, an agricultural by-product, and with a natural antioxidant obtained from waste orange peels.###Antioxidants extend shelf-life by reducing the interaction of oxygen with the cut surfaces of the packaged fruit.###This interaction, called oxidation, blemishes the cut surfaces – turning apple slices brown for example – and speeds iron gluconateup rotting.###SUSFOFLEX’s plastic also incorporates nanoclay, which are tiny mineral particles, and silver nanoparticles.###The nanoclay further strengthens the PLA and helps prevent the entry of oxygen into the package. Silver nanoparticles inhibit the growth of pathogens in the package,citracal sr improving safety.###As a demonstration, the project used the PLA-based plastic for new packaging it designed for fruit salads and similar products.###The package has a reservoir to collect liquid exuded by the fruit, thus increasing shelf-life and maintaining quality.###Safety sam’s club magnesium citratesensors###To complete the package, the project team also developed two types of miniature safety sensors to detect when cut fruit could be unsafe to eat.###Both sensors can be put on a package label using special printing techniques and inks.###One has a tiny wire that is inserted through the package and senses the level of ethanol inside. Ethanol is produced as microorganisms start to degrade fruit and make it unsafe to eat.###The information on ethanol levels is stored on a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on the package.###magnesium citrate magnesium glycinateAn electronic device can receive this information using radio signals transmitted to the tag – signaling to suppliers when their products are no longer fit for consumption.###The second SUSFOFLEX sensor signals this information via a color change.###It changes color when cut fruit has been exposed to a temperature above 15°C.###This indicates that at some time along the supply chain, the product has not been kept sufficiently chilled to remain safe.###While SUSFOFLEX ended in December 2014, the industrial partners in the project plan to further develop the PLA-based plastic, the new package design and the sensors before commercialization, says Toth.###PBS – another solution###Meanwhile the SUCCIPACK project demonstrated a production process to produce PBS-based plastics suitable for food packaging.###The innovations included a process to improve the resistance of PBS-based packaging to oxygen and water – resulting in increased shelf-life and food safety.###SUCCIPACK, which ended in December 2014, also produced demonstration film wrapping and containers (trays) for packaging cheese, meat, fish and vegetarian food products.###Based on its research, the project also developed guidelines recommending ways industry could further develop PBS-based plastics to the commercialization stage.###The project forecasts that its research could help European industry, especially small businesses, leapfrog over other competitors vying to produce PBS-based food packaging.