Tecnalia Develops Active Packaging for Cheeses, Cakes and Pastries

Both, the active packaging and the edible coatings applied on the product surface allow the controlled migration of some beneficial additives to take place over time.

Mar 19 2012 --- Tecnalia will develop a new system of active protection for processed cheeses and cake and pastry products through the selection of natural antifungal compounds and the study of their subsequent application to these food items.

In this project the addition of anti-fungal compounds via three different strategies will be investigated: by including them in the plastic packaging material (direct inclusion in the polymeric matrix or by coating on this packaging material), and by applying an edible coating on the food.

Both, the active packaging and the edible coatings applied on the product surface allow the controlled migration of some beneficial additives to take place over time. Furthermore, depending on the material used for their manufacturing, it is possible to regulate the transfer of gases as oxygen, to the product, and allow controlling the humidity. All these factors can contribute to improve the preservation of the selected products by decreasing the fungal growth.

The shelf life and quality of these products would thus be prolonged and new ways of business with high technological content and high added value would be created, and innovation in the food and plastics sector would be encouraged.The Spanish Institute of Plastics Technology (AIMPLAS) and the National Centre for Food Technology and Safety (CNTA), joined to the companies Novapan S.L., Industrias Lacteas Asturianas S.A. and General De Manipulados Plasticos S.A. are participating in this project alongside Tecnalia.