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The use of paper as a sustainable packaging material is favored, but it lacks sufficient barrier properties in terms of water repellence and oil resistance. Novel approaches consider active packaging materials or coatings with controlled release providing additional functionality for delivery of specific components to the surface. In this study, the development of a waterborne coating with organic nanoparticles and encapsulated sunflower oils is presented as a system for thermal release of the oil and on-demand tuning of the final barrier properties of the paper substrate. After synthesis of the nanoparticles, it seems that the encapsulation of various grades of sunflower oil (i.e., either poly-unsaturated or mono-unsaturated) strongly affects the encapsulation efficiency and thermal release profiles. The water contact angles are controlled by the oil release and chemical surface composition of the coating upon thermal heating. The oil resistance of the paper improves as a more continuous oil film is formed during thermal release. In particular, the chemical surface composition of the paper coatings is detailed by means of micro-Raman spectroscopy and surface imaging, which provide an analytical quantification tool to evaluate surface coverage, oil delivery, and variations in organic coating moieties. This research was funded through the Robert-Bosch Foundation in the frame of the Juniorprofessorshhip program, project ‘FORESNAB’ (2011–2016) for acquiring Raman spectroscope and TM3000 microscope. R. Thomann (University of Freiburg) is acknowledged for TEM measurements, and D. Stanssens (Topchim N.V.) is acknowledged for materials supply.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were directly synthesized and anchored on lignocellulose fiber without an external immobilizing agent via a facile green approach using unbleached kraft (UBK) softwood pulp. The obtained AuNPs were confirmed by UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The antioxidant behavior of the as-prepared AuNP-UBK fiber nanocomposite was evaluated by free radical scavenging of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH). The nanocomposite fiber exhibited greatly enhanced radical scavenging activity compared to that of the pure fiber. As a consequence, AuNP-UBK nanocomposite paper showed exceptional antioxidant performance with a radical scavenging rate of over 98%, which is attributed to the synergistic effects of adsorption by the fiber–fiber network and subsequent catalytic activity of the AuNPs. This research indicated that AuNP-UBK fiber nanocomposites could be a new candidate for antioxidant active packaging for use in food preservation.

Intelligent packaging is an emerging technology, aiming to improve the standard communication function of packaging. Radio frequency identification (RFID) assisted smart packaging is of high interest, but the uptake is limited as the market needs cost-efficient and sustainable applications. The integration of screen printed antennas and RFID chips as smart labels in reusable cardboard packaging could offer a solution. Although paper is an interesting and recyclable material, printing on this substrate is challenging as the ink conductivity is highly influenced by the paper properties. In this study, the best paper/functional silver ink combinations were first selected out of 76 paper substrates based on the paper surface roughness, air permeance, sheet resistance and SEM characterization. Next, a flexible high frequency RFID chip (13.56 MHz) was connected on top of screen printed antennas with a conductive adhesive. Functional RFID labels were integrated in cardboard packaging and its potential application as reusable smart box for third party logistics was tested. In parallel, a web-based software application mimicking its functional abilities in the logistic cycle was developed. This multidisciplinary approach to developing an easy-scalable screen printed antenna and RFID-assisted smart packaging application is a good example for future implementation of hybrid electronics in sustainable smart packaging. ispartof: MATERIALS vol:14 issue:19 ispartof: location:Switzerland status: published

BACKGROUND Minimally processed ready‐to‐eat products are considered a high‐risk food because of the possibility of contamination with pathogenic bacteria, including Listeria monocytogenes from the animal reservoir, and the minimal processing they undergo. In this study, a sakacin‐A anti‐Listeria active package was developed and tested on thin‐cut veal meat slices (carpaccio). RESULTS Enriched food‐grade sakacin‐A was obtained from a cell‐free supernatant of a Lactobacillus sakei culture and applied (0.63 mg cm−2) onto the surface of polyethylene‐coated paper sheets to obtain an active antimicrobial package. The coating retained antimicrobial features, indicating that the process did not affect sakacin‐A functionality, as evidenced in tests carried out in vitro. Thin‐cut veal meat slices inoculated with Listeria innocua (a surrogate of pathogenic L. monocytogenes) were laid on active paper sheets. After 48 h incubation at 4 °C, the Listeria population was found to be 1.5 log units lower with respect to controls (3.05 vs 4.46 log colony‐forming units (CFU) g−1). CONCLUSION This study demonstrates the possibility of using an antimicrobial coating containing sakacin‐A to inhibit or decrease the Listeria population in ready‐to‐eat products, thus lowering the risk of food‐related diseases. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Food safety is a major factor affecting public health and the well-being of society. A possible solution to control food-borne illnesses is through real-time monitoring of the food quality throughout the food supply chain. The development of emerging technologies, such as active and intelligent packaging, has been greatly accelerated in recent years, with a focus on informing consumers about food quality. Advances in the fields of sensors and biosensors has enabled the development of new materials, devices, and multifunctional sensing systems to monitor the quality of food. In this Review, we place the focus on an in-depth summary of the recent technological advances that hold the potential for being incorporated into food packaging to ensure food quality, safety, or monitoring of spoilage. These advanced sensing systems usually target monitoring gas production, humidity, temperature, and microorganisms' growth within packaged food. The implementation of portable and simple-to-use hand-held devices is also discussed in this Review. We highlight the mechanical and optical properties of current materials and systems, along with various limitations associated with each device. The technologies discussed here hold great potential for applications in food packaging and bring us one step closer to enable real-time monitoring of food throughout the supply chain.

Cinnamaldehyde (CNMA), an organic compound that gives cinnamon its flavor and odor, was investigated for its virucidal activity on norovirus surrogates, murine norovirus (MNV) and feline calicivirus (FCV), and hepatitis A virus (HAV). Initially, different concentrations of CNMA (0.1, 0.5 and 1 %) were individually mixed with each virus at titers of ca. 6–7 log10 TCID50/ml and incubated 2 h at 4 and 37 °C. CNMA was effective in reducing the titers of norovirus surrogates in a dose-dependent manner after 2 h at 37 °C, while HAV titers were reduced by 1 log10 after treatment with 1 % of CNMA. When incubation time was extended, HAV titers were reduced by 3.4 and 2.7 log10 after overnight incubation at 37 °C with 1 and 0.5 % of CNMA, respectively. Moreover, this paper analyzed, for the first time, the antiviral activity of adding an active electrospun interlayer based on zein and CNMA to a polyhydroxybutyrate packaging material (PHB) in a multilayer form. Biodegradable multilayer systems prepared with 2.60 mg/cm2 (~9.7 %) of CNMA completely inactivated FCV according to ISO 22196:2011, while MNV titers were reduced by 2.75 log10. When the developed multilayer films were evaluated after one month of preparation or at 25 °C, the antiviral activity was reduced as compared to freshly prepared multilayer films evaluated at 37 °C. The results show the excellent potential of this system for food contact applications as well as for active packaging technologies in order to maintain or extend food quality and safety., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) (RYC-2012-09950, AGL2015-63855-C2-1 and INIA Grant RTA2014-00024-C04-03). GS was supported by the “Ramón y Cajal” Young Investigator and MJF was recipient of a Juan de la Cierva contract from the MINECO. JLC-M was supported by the Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (Colciencias) of Colombian Government and WR by the “Student Mobility for Placement e SMP” Grant of the EU Life Learning Program.

Cellulose paper-chitosan (CC) double-layer films containing epsilon-poly-l-lysine (e-PL) (0.5 and 1% w/v) were developed. FTIR analysis showed a strong association between the e-PL and CC film. Antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes was investigated both in vitro and in the chicken breast meat. The CC films without e-PL showed no antimicrobial activity, while the addition of e-PL induced significant (p 0.05). This study revealed an antimicrobial activity for CC films impregnated with e-PL, to control foodborne pathogens in meat.

In this chapter the capsaicin derivative grafting onto cellulose ispresented as an alternative to obtain bioactive papers. First, grafting of nonivamide (capsaicin derivative) onto cellulose fibers using polycarboxylicacid as linking agent is discussed. The effect of different reaction variables(namely, time, temperature, and catalyst amount), on reaction occurrenceand efficacy is analyzed. From this data, the optimal reaction conditionsare selected and then grafting reaction is applied to commercial paper sheets. Final properties like antioxidant, insect repellent, and antimicrobialactivity, as well as mechanical properties of the modified paper are presentedand discussed. Fil: Muratore, Florencia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Goñi, Maria Laura. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Serrano, Luis. Universidad de Córdoba; España Fil: Labidi, Jalel. Universidad del País Vasco; España Fil: Barbosa, Silvia Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentina Fil: Martini, Raquel Evangelina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina

A new active paper package based on the incorporation of cinnamon essential oil to solid wax paraffin as an active coating is proposed, developed, and evaluated. The antifungal activity of the active paper is tested against Rhizopusstolonifer, and the results demonstrate that 6% (w/w) of the essential oil in the active coating formulation completely inhibits the growth of R. stolonifer, whereas 4% still has strong antimicrobial activity in in vitro conditions. Then, active paper is evaluated with actual food, sliced bread, using different storage times. After 3 days of storage, almost complete inhibition is obtained with 6% cinnamon essential oil. Qualitative analysis by solid-phase microextraction and determination of cinnamaldehyde in the sliced bread were also performed and confirmed the strong correspondence between the inhibition of the mold and the amount of cinnamaldehyde in the bread.