Silk harvest for packaging
We are facing a global problem in the management of the solid waste that is produced, and that most of it is located in sanitary landfills, thrown into the streets, or into water sources. Especially if we talk about plastic.
Currently, due to the immense population growth in the world and the increase in purchasing power and changes in people's consumption habits, there has been an increase in the use of non-biodegradable plastic packaging, which has caused us to be facing a real environmental crisis due to this material.
It is necessary to give a good final disposal to the solid waste, either by incineration, compost production, isolating them in suitable places so that they do not represent a serious environmental damage, or generating added value from them.
New Materials
On the other hand, given the difficult degradation of plastic waste, a more appropriate alternative to reduce the environmental burden produced by them, is the development of new biomaterials from the use of raw materials that favor their biodegradation. Some of these materials may be agroindustrial waste whose use requires an evaluation of them to know their origin, composition and quality; In this way, you can define the most appropriate technologies for your treatments and subsequent uses or applications.
Fibroin of silk
In the sericulture industry, residues close to 80% of the total weight of the silkworm cocoon are produced (Bombyx mori), and fibrous byproducts are produced from reject buds, parts of the cocoon that are not reeling, or non-rolling, and other wastes that are not used in the manufacture of textile products. From these fibrous residues, it is possible to extract proteins such as Silk Fibroin, FS, which can be used as a biomaterial in forms as diverse as films, sponges or gels, and which are used in medicine, pharmacology, cosmetics , or else in the development of new materials that can replace plastics. This makes the FS a potential raw material for the development of biodegradable packaging or bags.
The package is the physical object that contains a product or food. We call it primary packaging when it is in direct contact with the food or product, and it is a secondary packaging when it contains several primary packages inside it.
Packaging
Packaging in general has four main functions: containment, protection, comfort and communication. In the case of food, the protection offered by the primary packaging, prevents external factors such as humidity, dirt, odors, microorganisms, or compression forces, among others, having direct effect on the product. To provide such protection in food has been used a wide variety of materials, among which are the glass, metals, paper and plastics.
The packaging takes advantage of certain physical and chemical properties of the FS, such as its biodegradability, tensile strength and good oxygen permeability. Thanks to these characteristics that FS possesses, different biomaterials have been developed for food packaging.
In some cases, FS is functionalized by other components, such as when there have been developments as sensors with metallic nanostructures to evaluate the quality of the food or coatings with antimicrobial effect for the sausage of meat.
In other cases FS is included as a functional component, so there have been advances in biodegradable films, coatings for fruit or new biomaterials, such as "Shrilk", which is a biodegradable and biocompatible material, as hard as aluminum, which mimics the cuticle of insects, and which can replace plastic.
All these advances make it possible to demonstrate the potential that FS has in the sector and generates a stimulus to continue in the scientific search for new biodegradable materials with FS, which have potential application in the food packaging industry.
Source: Martín Carrillo O. - Blueberries Consulting
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