19 May 2020 --- While developing biodegradable food packaging from upcycled cheese whey and almond shells, EU-funded project YPACK has found that integrating zinc oxide and oregano essential oil helps the bio-papers protect against bacterial contamination in food packaging. For the past three years, YPACK has been developing a bio-based plastic alternative to traditional plastic food packaging that can biodegrade within 90 days. These new findings indicate the potential of the bio-based active packaging to increase the shelf life of fresh products like meat, fruits and vegetables and fresh pasta.