Universidade do Minho

Instituto para a Biotecnologia e a Bioengenharia

NanoPackSafer – um novo sistema de

embalagem de alimentos

António A. Vicente

Departamento de Engenharia Biológica

avicente@deb.uminho.pt
 NanoPackSafer

OBJECTIVE: This proposal aims at developing

nanotechnology-based food protection strategies by providing
active packaging systems which will proactively act to maintain
or even to increase food quality, safety and health impact of
foods from production to consumption.
 Nanotechnology
According to the European Commission’s
Recommendation (EFSA):
 Nanotechnology
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

Functionality
 Motivation

Consumers

Environment

All bio-materials from renewable sources

All food-grade, edible materials

Nano-sized systems

Ethical aspects
From Macro to Microfilms
Nano-engineered
Nano-engineered to Nano
films andcoatings
and coatings
- Clay
- Can nanoparticles
you see me?

Can
you

see

me?
 Nanotechnology
Nano-engineeredfilms
Nano-engineered filmsand
andcoatings
coatings
- Clayrevolution
– the promise of a food nanoparticles

 Improved sensorial properties

 Healthier and more nutritious foods

 Better packaging systems

 Traceability and monitoring along food chain

Materials at the nano scale have different properties

Nano-engineered films and coatings
- nanolaminates
 Nano-engineered films and coatings
- nanolaminates
A nanolaminate is a film or coating composed of two or more layers of material
with nanometer dimension that are physically or chemically bonded to each other

Need for successive layers of materials:

• Better physical stability in aggressive environments
• Better chemical stability of the incorporated compounds
• Improved control of the release rates
• Coexistence of possibly incompatible functionalities

Advantages of being nano-sized:

• Lesser amounts of ingredients needed
• Less impact in the sensory attributes of foods
• Different behaviour expected in terms of transport properties
- Of gases
- Of entrapped (functional) solutes
Nano-engineered films and coatings
- nanolaminates

10
Nano-engineered films and coatings
- nanolaminates

Alginate layers

Chitosan layers

11
 Nano-engineered films and coatings
- nanolaminates
 Characterization of the nanolayered film
Gas barrier properties

WVP x 1011
(g.m-1.s-1.Pa-1)

1
Hoagland and Parris (1996). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 44, 1915-1919
2
Fajardo et al. (2010). Journal of Food Engineering.
 Release from chitosan nanolayered films in
liquid medium
 -carrageenan/chitosan nanolayered film with a model compound
(Methylene Blue) incorporated on the 2nd, 4th or 6th layer
UV-VIS spectroscopy, 190-800
aminolyzed nm
PET

- - ++ +
- - - + +
- water water
Real time deposition
Quartz Crystal Microbalance
Negatively Charged:
0.2 % -carrageenan pH 7

Positively Charged:
0.2 % chitosan, pH 3 or
0.3 % of Methylene Blue, pH 7
 Release from chitosan nanolayered films in
liquid medium
MB release from nano layered films
Nanolayered films with MB in the:

2nd Layer

 Incubation of films in 0.01 M PBS

 pH 2 and 7
 MB release evaluated by UV-VIS
4 Layer
th
spectroscopy at 600 nm

6th Layer
 Release from chitosan nanolayered films in
liquid medium
MB release from nano layered films
Nanolayered films with MB in the 6th Layer

Fick´s transport

Anomalous behaviour ok
– Fick + 1 main reconfiguration
 Release from chitosan nanolayered films in
liquid medium
MB release from nano layered films
Nanolayered films with MB in the 2nd and 4th Layers

pH=7 pH=2
Fick´s transport Fick´s transport

Anomalous behaviour Anomalous behaviour ok

– Fick + 1 main reconfiguration – Fick + 1 main reconfiguration

+ + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + ++ + +
- -- - - - - - - - - + + + + + + ++ + +
+ + + + + + ++ + + + + + + + + ++ + +
- -- - - - - - - - - + + + + + + ++ + +
Strong electrochemical “Normal” interaction
interaction -behaves as a “macro” polymeric
- affects the transport mechanism, network
which cannot be described by
neither Fickian nor anomalous
behaviour
 Applications
 Application on mangoes

Contact angle
 Applications

 Application on mangoes – Shelf-life analysis

Weight loss

The pectin/chitosan nanolayers reduced the weight loss of the mangoes.

 Applications

 Application on mangoes – Shelf-life analysis

Soluble solids (SS) Titratable acidity (TA)

Mangoes with nanolayers: Lower SS variation and lower redution of TA

Delay in ripening
 Applications

 Application on mangoes – Appearance after 45 days

Without coating

With
pectin/chitosan
nanolayers
 Applications

Application on pears – Appearance after 7 days of refrigerated storage

21
 Take-home messages

Plenty of room for improvement of food nano-systems

Need to improve detection/characterization methods

Countless applications in foods

Need to evaluate impact on health

Need to evaluate impact on environment

Ethical aspects?
Thank you for your attention