A new nanotechnology presented yesterday in Chile extends the shelf life of food for export up to 30 percent through the development of packages with components from leaves and native fruits.
"What we do is we incorporate active nano-composites of traditional products into the packaging, such as maqui, murtilla and caulk, which generate a positive and beneficial effect for content," said Maria Jose Galotto, the scientist that led the research.
The innovative packaging can incorporate antimicrobial, antioxidant and ethylene absorbent properties among other benefits through the Chilean nanotechnology.
According to a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one third of the food for humans is wasted due to degradation by collecting, storing, packaging or shipping every year.
Thus, Galotto stated, "there is the need to respond to the consumers' demand who prefer their food less processed and better packaged."
The costs of generating this type of packaging are between 3 and 5 percent higher than the current prices, but the increase in cost is absorbed by the decreasing losses of products that degrade, said Galotto.
This technology has already been applied in countries like Spain, but the advantage of the Chilean innovation is the amount of beneficial properties its local products have that can be applied to containers and the strategy they are using.
So far, this nanotechnology has been applied to packages of grapes, kiwi, avocado, vegetables and salmon, and soon it will be used in bread and cheese.
"In the case of salmon we have delayed the bacteriological process and extended its life by up to 25 percent. For example, instead of lasting 15 days, it will now last 20 increasing the range of product sales," said Galotto.
"We have also worked with clay nano-composite, which delays the degradation of food, and we extracted the antimicrobial properties of copper, which is much more effective than technologynano silver, i.e. the one extracted from silver," she added.
This type of packaging also takes care of the environment by using biodegradable polymers.
Brazil has positioned itself as one of the most advanced countries in the development of nanotechnology in the last fifteen years.
Source: lostiempos.com