A team of scientists from NTU Singapore and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA, has developed an „intelligent“ packaging material for food that is biodegradable and kills harmful microbes. As a result, the shelf life of fresh fruit, for example, can be extended by several days.
The new type of food packaging consists of certain Corn proteins, starch and other biopolymers, which are mixed with a cocktail of natural antimicrobial compounds. These include thyme oil and citric acid.
The packaging is designed to fulfil the required tiny amounts of antimicrobial compounds is only released when additional moisture or the enzymes of harmful bacteria are present.
As the antimicrobial compounds fight all bacteria that grow on the packaging surface as well as on the food itself, they can be used for a wide range of products, including Ready-to-eat food, raw meat, fruit and vegetables.
In a laboratory test strawberries stay fresh in the new packaging for seven days, before they started to go mouldy. Strawberries in conventional plastic boxes, on the other hand, only had a shelf life of four days.
Source: NTU Singapore
