[China Packaging Network News] With the rapid development of food science and packaging industry, many new types of packaging materials and packaging forms continue to emerge. Among them, experts believe that edible environmental protection packaging materials will lead the sustainable development of the food packaging industry. In recent years, sustainable packaging and green packaging have become a hot topic in China's food packaging industry.
New R&D: Edible Protein Membrane Made of Fish Skin
Crab sticks have a plastic film, and careless diners often throw it together in a hot pot and inadvertently create toxins. However, if you use an edible protein film, this problem does not exist. Recently, Wu Wuyin, a teacher at the University of Science and Technology of JiDa, developed a membrane of this kind.
New Packaging Renewals: Edible Packaging Materials
This scientific research has already applied for a patent. This edible protein film can be dissolved in water at high temperature, and can not only replace the plastic film packaged in crab sticks, but also can replace the packaging of instant noodles seasoning. In this way, when cooking instant noodles, throw the seasoning bag directly into the water can be Now.
Weng Wuyin said that the raw material for this edible protein film is nutrient-rich protein. He has experimented with two kinds. One is fish protein film processed with fish meat, and the other is edible, degradable collagen film made from fish skin, fish head, fish scales and other scrap materials, and the thickness is about 25 Micron to 30 microns.
In Weng Wuyin's laboratory, the reporter saw this amazing protein film. It is slightly thicker than cling film, colorless and odorless, and its permeability is worse than plastic film, but its feel is the same as plastic film.
Weng Wuyin said that at present, there are no enterprises in China that can produce packaging films that can be eaten. Soy protein is the most studied protein film.
Weng Wuyin once studied in Japan for many years. He said that Japanese people love to eat sashimi, and there is also a great demand for raw plastic film wrapped in sashimi. A few years ago, they were studying edible protein membrane technology. He feels that the products he is currently developing are comparable to Japanese technologies in terms of technical content.
Weng Wuyin said that China’s annual output of aquatic products ranks first in the world. In the processing of fish and fishery products, especially in the production of frozen fish fillets and surimi processing, a large amount of waste will be generated. Statistics show that when companies process frozen fish fillets, the meat output rate is less than 40%, that is, the production of a ton of fish fillets produces approximately 1.5 tons of waste materials such as fish skins, fish heads, and fish scales, and direct discarding not only wastes resources. It will also cause serious pollution to the environment. At present, almost all food packaging uses plastic products, and its harm to the environment is obvious. Using fish skins as raw materials, it has taken into consideration the edible nature and low carbon environmental protection.
Weng Wuyin estimates that the cost of a square meter of edible protein film is only about 0.3 yuan. More importantly, the edible protein film is not susceptible to aging, and it can be stored for one year in a 40°C environment and the physical properties will not change.
Weng Wuyin said that if the impermeability and anti-corrosion properties of the edible protein film are further improved, a completely degradable protein film can be made to replace the plastic packaging film and reduce the use of plastic film.
Weng Wuyin is considering adopting mechanized means to allow edible protein membranes to be mass-produced, allowing this patent to move from the laboratory to the market.
Edible packaging material enters the market
With the concept of low carbon and environmental protection becoming the main theme of the society, many fields are practicing, and so is the area of ​​packaging materials. The rapid development of the food processing industry and the increasing packaging required. It is understood that there are many kinds of green packaging materials on the market, which can be roughly divided into reusable and recycled packaging materials, edible packaging materials, degradable materials and paper materials.
The reusable packaging materials are mainly used for packaging glass bottles for beer, beverages, etc., and can be used repeatedly; the reusable packaging materials are mainly plastic packaging, and can be made into recycled packaging containers after being processed by physical methods and processed by chemical methods. Can be made into recycled packaging products. But these two methods are in the ointment and only reduce the pollution to the environment. In the end, they must also face the problem of polluting the environment.
The degradable materials can be degraded and reduced by themselves after use, and there is no pollution to the environment. The paper packaging made of natural plant fibers is of high recycling value and the technology is mature.
Edible packaging materials use natural edible substances (such as polysaccharides, proteins, etc.) as raw materials to form edible packaging films through interactions between different molecules. According to different materials and processes, it can be divided into polysaccharide edible packaging film, protein edible packaging film, composite edible packaging film and so on.
It is reported that relevant scientific research institutions and packaging companies have begun to conduct research on the preparation and performance of new edible packaging films. In fact, in China, edible packaging has long been used in real life. For example, waxes, oils, and gelatin are coated on food and fruit surfaces to effectively reduce moisture loss and extend shelf life. Confectionery and pastries coated with glutinous rice paper are made from starch such as sweet potato, corn, or wheat flour. It is used to prevent sticking with the outer packaging; the corn baking packaging and sausage casings of the ice cream cone are all typical edible packaging. With the rapid development of China's food packaging industry, the development of new types of edible environmental protection packaging materials is considered to be an important means to achieve sustainable development of the food packaging industry.