Abstract
The research proposal aims at designing and producing novel biopolymer systems containing functional additives (namely, antimicrobial and antioxidant products derived from lactic acid fermentation of agricultural wastes and by-products) for disposable food and biomedical packaging applications, hence fulfilling the current circular economy concept. In particular, the main target of the project has been to provide proof of concept of the suitability of extracts recovered from selected lactic acid-fermented agricultural wastes and bio-products (namely, tomato peels, melons, and legumes) as efficient antimicrobial and antioxidant additives for the design of novel disposable packaging for food and biomedical purposes. Sustainable bio-based polymers (namely, polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyhexanoate and polylactic acid) have been selected for preparing films by casting or blown film extrusion. The extracts have been incorporated at different loadings using melt compounding processes into the bio-based polymeric films, or layer-by-layer coated on the same substrates (LbL deposition). Both the bulk films and those treated with the layer-by-layer method have undergone comprehensive characterization to assess their morphology, biodegradability, thermal properties, mechanical strength, and antioxidant and antimicrobial capabilities. Additionally, a continuous pilot plant demonstrator of the layer-by-layer functionalisation has been designed and developed. The main results achieved by the project can be summarised as follows: 1) Identification and optimisation of the processing protocols for the recovery of active extracts from agrifood wastes and by-products of lactic acid fermentation. 2) Valorisation of these extracts as antimicrobial and antioxidant additives for the design of novel bio-based/biodegradable packaging films suitable for food and biomedical applications. 3) Design and development of a continuous pilot plant demonstrator exploiting the layer-by-layer deposition for the production of active packaging films.
Project details
Unibo Team Leader: Maurizio Toselli
Unibo involved Department/s:
Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari"
Coordinator:
Politecnico di TORINO(Italy)
Total Unibo Contribution: Euro (EUR) 36.805,00
Project Duration in months: 24
Start Date:
30/11/2023
End Date:
29/11/2025
