Casein and pectin instead of plastic

Milk turned into edible packaging for food

Oleg Lischuk, N+1, based on materials Phys.org : Edible food packaging made from milk proteins

American scientists have developed an edible packaging for products, the material for which is milk protein. The results of the work are presented at the 252nd National Meeting-Exhibition of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia.

Currently, the main material for food packaging is plastic. Like any other plastic products, such packages are made from non-renewable raw materials and are among the most dangerous environmental pollutants. They do not decompose for centuries and end up in the seas and oceans, causing the death of about a million birds and one hundred thousand marine animals annually. In addition, some plastics can emit potentially toxic substances into products, and the plastic packaging itself does not always reliably protect products from air oxidation and, as a result, spoilage. As an alternative, attempts are being made to replace plastic in food packages with starch, but such materials are too porous and poorly suited for long-term storage of products.

Employees of the US Department of Agriculture used casein milk protein as a material for development. The film from it turned out to be quite airtight, but difficult to handle and too soluble in water. The addition of citrus pectin made the material more durable and resistant to humidity and high temperatures.

The resulting film looks and feels almost the same as packaging plastic. At the same time, it passes about 500 times less oxygen than plastic, completely decomposes in the environment without the formation of toxic products and can serve as food itself. According to scientists, the casein film is practically tasteless, but it is possible to add flavor additives, food dyes, as well as vitamins and other biologically active substances to it without loss of quality.

The researchers expect that the new packaging material will primarily find use as a shell for portioned products, such as sausages or cheese sticks, in the future the scope of its application should expand. In addition to packaging, the uncured protein material can be sprayed on crunchy foods, such as breakfast cereals. Currently, to maintain the consistency, icing sugar is applied to them, the use of which is much less useful compared to casein. Also, "milk plastic" can be used as a laminate for paper and cardboard food packaging.

According to the head of development, Laetitia Bonnaillie, the laboratory is currently producing a trial batch of packaging material for a small Texas company, and a number of other companies have shown interest in the novelty. According to her forecast, products in new packaging will appear on the shelves within three years.

The use of disposable plastic packaging in a number of countries is regulated at the state level. So, in Denmark in 1994, a tax was introduced on the free distribution of plastic bags, and their use decreased by 90 percent. A complete ban on the production and use of thin disposable plastic bags is in effect in Bangladesh, Rwanda, China, Macedonia, France and Taiwan. Laws restricting the use of plastic containers to one degree or another have been adopted in dozens of countries and regions of the world.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  29.08.2016