Food Marketing & Technology India – July 2019

Food Marketing & Technology 48 July 2019

Packaging

N

anotechnology has emerged

as an interesting field of

research and development

since its introduction in 1959 by

Richard Feynman. The field of

Nanotechnology deals with synthesis

and characterization of materials

in the size ranging from 1- 100nm

referred to as nanomaterials that

include nanoparticles, nanofibres

and nanotubes, and nanocomposites.

Nanomaterials by virtue of their small

size, exhibit unique physicochemical

properties that influence their

biological interactions and movement

across barrier surfaces and offer huge

array of applications in the area of food,

environment and medical industry.

• Nanoparticles: are small sized
  nanomaterials with each particle
  size with diameter < 100 nm.


• Nanofibres: are a sub-class of
  nanoparticles (includes nanotubes)
  which have two dimensions <100
  nm but the third (axial) dimension
  can be much larger in size.


• Nanocomposites: are a multi-phased
  structures in which at least one of the
  phases has at least one dimension
  in the nanoscale (i.e <1-100 nm).
  Natural compounds or polymers
  are incorporated as the other phase
  to make it bio-nanocomposites
  with nature like properties. Often
  metal ions are incorporated into
  them to impart antimicrobial
  properties. Bionanocomposites
  have the advantage of being more
  resilient, stable, adaptive and
  multifunctional offering huge
  array of interdisciplinary industrial
  applications especially in food
  packaging.

Food Packaging is defined as the

coordinating system of preparing

goods for transport, distribution,

storage, relating and use of the goods.

The packaging material should

offer functions such as protect the

product from environmental hazard,

barrier properties, gas permeability,

mechanical properties, marketing-

related properties (attractiveness,

permeability and cost), convenience

and aroma. The packaging

materials mostly used in the food

industries are synthetic polymers

(petroleum-based) and are non-

biodegradable which results in

serious environmental problems. On

the other hand bio-nanocomposite

packaging materials are different

in comparison to regular synthetic

packaging material. They offer

chemical and thermal stability,

high mechanical strength, gas

and water barrier properties, heat

resistance, biodegradability, sensing

microbiological and biochemical

changes, antimicrobial and antifungal

properties, optical transparency etc.

Food Packaging applications

of bio-nanocomposites

1. Antimicrobial: Restrict/Inhibits the
   microbial contamination.


2. UV blockers: Provides protection
   against UV light.


3. Packaging properties: Improved
   barrier, thermal and mechanical
   properties.


4. Biodegradability: Improved
   biodegradability thus eco-friendly.


5. Monitors product conditions:
   Freshness indicator, gas detector,
   Time temperature indicator &
   leakage indicator.


6. Target delivery: Application
   in nutraceutical and bioactive
   compounds.


7. Intelligent Packaging: Indicated
   deterioration, self-heating and self
   cooling.


8. Information on the product:
   Barcode and authenticity of product.


9. Nano Sensors: Senses contaminants
   there by indicating contaminants.

Nanocomposite and

Antimicrobial system.

Nanoparticles such as metal ions are

usually incorporated into polymer

matrix. These metal ions bring about

an effective antimicrobial activity in

their ‘nano’ dimensions at very low

concentrations. Table-1 summarizes

the antimicrobial packaging system

with different nanoparticles.

BIONANOCOMPOSITES AND

THEIR APPLICATION IN

FOOD PACKAGING

BY: MR. SHIVAPRASAD D.P AND DR. NEETU KUMRA TANEJA *

Bionanocomposites

have the advantage of

being more resilient,

stable, adaptive

and multifunctional

offering huge array of

interdisciplinary industrial

applications especially in

food packaging