Mar 29th, 2021
3 mins
An international team of scientists from India and Russia have declared that they have created edible food films for packaging fruits, vegetables, poultry, meat and seafood by using algae (seaweed) of which there is an almost inexhaustible supply in the world’s oceans.
A study published in the Journal of Food Engineering states that the films, which are made from natural ingredients, are safe for consumer health and the environment. The researchers claim that the films are water-soluble and dissolve by almost 90% in 24 hours.
Rammohan Aluru, Senior Researcher from the Organic Synthesis Laboratory at Ural Federal University and co-author of the paper, stated, “We have created three types of food films based on the well-known naturally occurring seaweed biopolymer sodium alginate.”
“Its seaweed molecules have film-forming properties. Sodium alginate is an auspicious carbohydrate macromolecule that has potential film-forming properties upon hydrolysis and abundantly exists in cell walls as a mixture of various salts. The greatest advantage of sodium alginate is that it performs as liquid-gel in an aqueous medium.”
The molecules cross-link with ferulic acid which makes the film not only strong but also homogenous – more rigid but also prolongs the life of the product. Garlic, turmeric and ginger can be added to the films to help prevent the spread of viruses whilst being natural anti-viral agents.
The scientists declare that no special equipment is required to produce the films on an industrial scale.
For the report and further information – please click here.
