New milk protein film: new biodegradable packaging material

[Chinese Packaging News] It is understood that two researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed a film made of milk protein that can be eaten together with the cheese in the package. It is an edible, biodegradable, novel packaging material. Compared with plastic packaging, casein packaging film can be made into thin slices, or can be sprayed on the food to form a packaging coating. Moreover, the new film not only prevents food spoilage, but also significantly reduces plastic pollution in landfills.

Cheese is very common and not a particularly healthy food. It is a popular and popular snack in the United States. Cheese parcels with beautiful inner packaging appear in many children's lunch boxes. Each mozzarella cheese or cheddar cheese is an independent small package. Therefore, thousands of small pieces of plastic packaging are thrown in every day. The trash can finally enter the landfill.

This situation may not last long. Two researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed a film made of milk protein that can be eaten with the cheese that is wrapped in it. This means that it may not be long before we will be able to taste a healthy and nutritious package. The use of milk protein to make food packaging bags not only prevents food spoilage, but also significantly reduces plastic contamination in landfills.

Film made with milk protein

Peggy Tomassula, one of the principal researchers of the study, said: “This is a layer of inner packaging that can be eaten and used as an alternative to small packages that previously package cheese sticks. It can not only provide people with more More vitamins and minerals can also prevent light damage to food and add a variety of flavors to the food. For example, strawberry flavor can be added to the inner packaging film of food."

The main ingredient of this novel packaging is casein, a group of milk proteins with high nutritional value. Tomasaura has been studying casein since 2000. She has discovered that a new protein made from carbon dioxide is not easily soluble in water and can be used to make film wraps to extend the shelf life of dairy products.

Another scientist, Letis Bonellier, also joined the research team of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Together they studied whether they could make use of the remaining powdered milk in the dairy farm to make the packaging film. Bonellier was still Do further research and improvement to make it more insensitive to humidity and improve the prospects of its commercial application.

This research result was recently announced at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, calling it an edible, biodegradable and novel packaging material. Unlike plastic packaging, casein packaging films can be either sheeted or sprayed onto the food to form a coating. It can block oxygen into the food more effectively than the general plastic packaging, so it can prevent food spoilage for a longer time and improve the shelf life of food.

Casein film can be used as a food package, but it can also be sprayed directly on food.

However, there are some restrictions on the use of this novel packaging, at least initially. “It is mainly used for dairy products, or for foods that are used with dairy products, such as cereals,” said Tomasula. “But we will not promote this kind of packaging for the fruit and vegetable market. We will not do this, mainly because of milk allergy problems. Using this kind of packaging must have a label and let people know that it is milk protein.”

But this does not mean that all packaging of cheese and other dairy products will be cancelled and these foods will still need to be “hidden” in boxes or overpacks in a way that prevents the food from being contaminated or exposed to excessive air absorption. Humidity. However, the elimination of plastic packaging inside it means that many plastic waste can be reduced in landfills. It is estimated that the time required for the degradation of plastics may be as long as a thousand years. Unfortunately, less than one-third of the plastic trash was thrown away by Americans.

Bonellier’s idea is to design different casein films, such as water-soluble films that are more suitable for foods that need to be dissolved in water, foods that cannot resist moisture, and casein films that have better moisture resistance. "We are testing different requirements for casein films," she said. "The research on the practical application of commercialization has just begun. There are many things we have to do."

For example, if you want to cook an instant coffee or quick soup, you don't need to tear the package, you can directly put the casein film package into the water, and even the contents of the package will dissolve together in the water and provide people with Additional protein nutrition. For example, the protein film is sprayed on the cereal to replace the usual practice of adding sugar to make the cereal crisper. "This may be a healthy way to lose weight, which can greatly reduce the intake of sugar," Bonellier said.

The future of edible packaging makes people look forward to

Tommasura added, “We can also produce chocolate-flavored edible packaging, or combine multiple ingredients to provide people with more nutrition.” Tomasaura and Bonellier said they are In cooperation with some companies, it is expected that this kind of edible packaging will be brought to market in the next three years.