NanoPack develops state-of-the-art antimicrobial packaging solutions based on the combination of natural nanomaterials and essential oils that will extend the shelf life of food and thus reduce food waste

Nanopack

Image: NanoPack’s active food packaging has showed impressive results in extending food shelf life. Photo: courtesy of Nano Pack.

The EU-funded NanoPack Project carried out a series of antimicrobial efficacy tests in different sites that proved NanoPack’s novel film’s ability to extend the shelf life of a series of perishable goods.

The results will be presented at the NanoPack Final Conference, which is part of the AIPIA World Congress, on the topic: “Disrupting your brand’s packaging with the latest active & intelligent technologies”, to take place on 18-19 November 2019 in Amsterdam.

NanoPack develops state-of-the-art antimicrobial packaging solutions based on the combination of natural nanomaterials and essential oils that will extend the shelf life of food and thus reduce food waste.

Among others, NanoPack’s novel film has achieved the following results:

Inhibited mould growth in bread by at least 3 weeks.

Increased saleability of fresh cherries by 40 percent.

Expanded shelf-life of yellow cheese by 50 percent.

“The AIPIA Congress will provide the project with an excellent opportunity to present the impressive results achieved using NanoPack novel antimicrobial polymer films to a huge group of stakeholders,” said NanoPack’s coordinator Ester Segal, associate professor at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. “During the concluding conference of our project, we will present the results to the food packaging industry, the scientific community, retailers and consumers, as we are getting ready to launch a commercially marketable, flexible packaging film.”

As part of the AIPIA Congress NanoPack will present its innovative film, which is aimed at replacing or minimising food preservatives and being used with or without modified atmosphere conditions.

The project will hold special sessions on the following topics:

Nanotechnology in Packaging

Safety of Nanotechnology-based Active Antimicrobial Food Packaging

Industrial translation of Nanopack Active Antimicrobial Food Packaging

AIPIA attendees are invited to visit the Nanopack booth, where it will demonstrate, using virtual reality, how its halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) with antimicrobial essential oils are incorporated into polymers for use in food packaging films.

The nanotubes slowly release the antimicrobial oils from the film into the headspace of the packaged food. This actively slows down oxidation, moisture changes and microbial growth, improving food safety and increasing the shelf-life of the packaged food product. Samples of the Nanopack films and lids as well as food products packaged by NanoPack will be demonstrated.

NanoPack is an EU-funded project which aims to develop and demonstrate solutions for extending food shelf life through using novel antimicrobial surfaces applied in active food packaging products.

Source: Company Press Release