Rutgers University: Develop biodegradable plant coatings to improve food safety
To produce an eco-friendly alternative to plastic food packaging and containers, a Rutgers University scientist has developed a biodegradable plant-based coating that can be sprayed on food to protect against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms and shipping damage.
A scalable process may reduce the adverse environmental impact of plastic food packaging and protect human health.
Philippe Democritu, director of the Center for Nanoscience and Advanced Materials Research, and the Henry Rutgers School of Public Health and Professor of Nanoscience and Environmental Bioengineering at the Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. "We also asked ourselves, 'Can we design packaging that extends shelf life, reduces food waste, and increases food safety?'"
Demokritou added: "What we are proposing is a scalable technology that allows us to convert biopolymers, which can be extracted from food waste as part of a circular economy, into smart fibers that can directly wrap food. This is a new part of a generation of "smart" and "green" food packaging".
