Arantzazu Valdés

Natural additives and agricultural wastes in biopolymer formulations for food packaging

The main directions in food packaging research are targeted toward improvements in food quality and food safety. For this purpose, food packaging providing longer product shelf-life, as well as the monitoring of safety and quality based upon international standards, is desirable. New active packaging strategies represent a key area of development in new multifunctional materials where the use of natural additives and/or agricultural wastes is getting increasing interest. The development of new materials, and particularly innovative biopolymer formulations, can help to address these requirements and also with other packaging functions such as: food protection and preservation, marketing and smart communication to consumers. The use of biocomposites for active food packaging is one of the most studied approaches in the last years on materials in contact with food. Applications of these innovative biocomposites could help to provide new food packaging materials with improved mechanical, barrier, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. From the food industry standpoint, concerns such as the safety and risk associated with these new additives, migration properties and possible human ingestion and regulations need to be considered. The latest innovations in the use of these innovative formulations to obtain biocomposites are reported in this review. Legislative issues related to the use of natural additives and agricultural wastes in food packaging systems are also discussed.

Use of herbs, spices and their bioactive compounds in active food packaging

The interest and societal demand on the use of natural, biodegradable and renewable resources has increased in the last few years. In addition, food producers and consumers have improved their requirements for the quality of processed food, particularly in the field of increasing shelf-life while preserving organoleptic and nutritional properties. Active packaging technologies have greatly developed in the last decade by trying to satisfy the need for long-life processed food in addition to antioxidant/antimicrobial components in the packaging material. These components are intended to be released in a controlled way to food. These rising trends have been reflected in the field of food packaging by the use of chemicals extracted and obtained from plants in active packaging formulations. Herbs and spices have shown great potential to be used as renewable, biodegradable and valuable sources of chemicals, such as polyphenols, with high antioxidant/antimicrobial performance. This review aims to present the latest published work in this area.

Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Almond Skin Byproducts (Prunus amygdalus): A Multivariate Analysis Approach

A microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) procedure to isolate phenolic compounds from almond skin byproducts was optimized. A three-level, three-factor Box-Behnken design was used to evaluate the effect of almond skin weight, microwave power, and irradiation time on total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (DPPH). Almond skin weight was the most important parameter in the studied responses. The best extraction was achieved using 4 g, 60 s, 100 W, and 60 mL of 70% (v/v) ethanol. TPC, antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP), and chemical composition (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS) were determined by using the optimized method from seven different almond cultivars. Successful discrimination was obtained for all cultivars by using multivariate linear discriminant analysis (LDA), suggesting the influence of cultivar type on polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. The results show the potential of almond skin as a natural source of phenolics and the effectiveness of MAE for the reutilization of these byproducts.

Valorization of Agricultural Wastes for the Production of Protein-Based Biopolymers

In this study we provide an overview of the latest developments on the extraction, production, modifi cation and applications of fruit residues and by-products in the formation of protein-based biopolymers, in particular for the formulation of edible fi lms. Our aim was mainly to demonstrate the highly transdisciplinary character of these topics by giving an overview of the main developments and research topics in the chemistry and engineering aspects of protein-based biopolymers. These innovative raw materials have been evaluated for the production of biomaterials to be used in some key sectors, such as food packaging.

Multifunctional Applications of Nanocellulose-Based Nanocomposites

Nanocellulose is considered a sustainable nanomaterial due to its availability, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. It exists in a number of forms, including nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) or cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), and bacterial cellulose (BC). Nanocellulose can be used to reinforce polymers, paper, and membranes, resulting in biodegradable and environmentally friendly bionanocomposites with remarkable improvement in material properties as compared to polymer matrices of conventional macro-composite materials. These improvements are attributed to the excellent properties of cellulose fibers, including high modulus, high tensile strength, and good barrier properties, as well as ease for chemical surface modification. The aim of this chapter is to review recent developments in cellulose-based nanomaterials for multifunctional applications in different fields.

Carbohydrate-Based Advanced Biomaterials for Food Sustainability: A Review

The quality and safety of processed food strongly depend on their packaging and the protection that it provides. The increasing accumulation of synthetic non-biodegradable plastics in the environment represents a threat to the natural habitats. This has lead companies and researchers to explore different ways to develop bio-based polymers made from a variety of agricultural commodities and/or food waste products. Recently, plant-based polysaccharides such as hemicelluloses and celluloses have attracted attention as replacements for petroleum-based materials. In this context, the cell wall composition determines the quality of most plant-based products used in modern human societies. Nutritional and processing properties of plant-based foods are heavily influenced by wall properties. Fibres for textiles, paper manufacture, timber products and now, for fuel and bio-composites manufacture, are largely composed of, or derived from, walls. As the largest source of renewable carbon, plant cell walls have a critical future role in providing transport fuels, food security, functional foods to improve human health, and as raw materials for industrial processes. The use of cellulose materials as polysaccharides source offers the possibility of obtaining new advanced biomaterials for fresh or processed foods sustainability. In this review, the cell wall metabolism, extraction and hydrolyzation of polysaccharides in different microorganisms and plants, and their application for the development of new carbohydrate-based advanced biomaterials that can be applied for the food industry are reported.

Polymers Extracted from Biomass

The accumulation of non-biodegradable plastics in the environment, raising the issue of waste disposal, joined to the growing concerns about the high dependence on petroleum-based materials has led to the development of new bio-based polymers obtained directly from biomass. Unlike the chemically synthesized polymers, bioplastics are produced by living organisms, such as plants, fungi, or bacteria. This article describes the structure, properties, and sources of the main bio-based polymers, in particular, polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and polyesters. Their application for the development of new biomass-based advanced biomaterials is reviewed with particular interest in food technologies.

Recent Trends in Microencapsulation for Smart and Active Innovative Textile Products

Authors would like to acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for financial support (Refs. MAT2014-59242-C2-2-R and MAT2014-55778-REDT).

Packaging for Drinks

The primary function of packaging is to contain and protect the product from damage or degradation processes, maintaining its safety and quality and ensuring it reaches the consumer in the same condition as when it was produced and throughout its shelf life. This article describes new trends in packaging for drinks, focusing on different packaging formats currently used, including a wide variety of materials which can offer different properties to maintain drink quality and freshness during the whole commercial cycle. New developments based on active packaging systems and technologies for reducing the volume of raw materials are also reviewed. Finally, recycling of beverage packaging and up-to-date legislation are discussed.