Research on active packaging: project Natal
July 20, 2010
In 2007, seven technology centers of all Spain embarked on an unprecedented Alliance to boost research in the field of packaging and packing technologies applied to food products.
The Alliance, called Martínez @ (Consortium strategic research and development of food packaging), has provided a framework for collaboration between technology centres with the ultimate goal of offering specific solutions to companies in the sector of the packaging and food packaging.
Currently, all members of the Alliance are participating in the project 'Development of active packaging with additives derived from agro-industrial waste' (native), within the Consorciados project of the Ministry of science and research program. The project is led by Aimplas and has a duration of three years.
The main objective of the project consists in the realization of active flexible packaging with antimicrobial and/or antioxidant effect from natural additives derived from agro-industrial residues, which have been studied and extracted by different technological institutes participatingapplicable to a wide range of food and conservation processes.
Between the extracts are underway, among others, with extracts of grape, garlic, onion, tomato, pepper and olive. The objective is to incorporate these extracts to plastic materials for active packaging designed to increase the useful life in such variety of foods such as fish, cheeses, cold meats, red meat, fruit or vegetables.
