New food packaging is endless

In order to improve food quality and shelf life, all countries in the world are committed to researching new types of food packaging.

Researchers at the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Oregon have used natural materials to produce a film that is used to package coated foods to prevent coating damage. The film also protects the vitamins and other nutrients contained in the food and increases the nutritional value of the food.

Chitosan is a fibrous substance found in shrimp skin. Scientists combined chitosan with lysozyme in egg protein to make an antibacterial food package. This kind of package is quite thin and it does not affect the appearance of the food.

According to a recent report of the American Journal of Agriculture and Agricultural Chemicals, the plant herbs of the genus Basil contain antibacterial ingredients that can be added to plastic formulas to protect food and improve food safety. Methyl benomyl and linalol, which are emitted from the packaging, slow down the growth of the eight pathogenic bacteria. Tests have shown that this package extends the shelf life of cheese, meat, fish, baked goods, fruits and vegetables.

Recently, scientists from the US Bureau of Agricultural Research have developed wheat starch that can be used freely. They believe that packaging made from this kind of wheat starch will replace plastic packaging products made from petroleum and polystyrene and will help protect the environment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Agricultural Research, making packaging containers from wheat starch is a simple process that can be carried out using extrusion or die processing. First, the wet dough made of wheat starch is added to the mold, and then the mold is closed for heating. The wet dough generates steam in the mold, causing the dough to foam, expand, and then fill the entire mold, and steam is discharged. After the operation is completed, open the mold and remove the product. The operating cycle proceeds and the entire process takes only a few minutes.