Development of food packaging systems that improve their conservation

Abstract

Active packaging is one of the new packaging technologies that have emerged as a result of the innovation of the packaging industry to meet the challenges of the characteristics of the current market and the new demands of consumers. These packages extend the useful life of food, generating favourable conditions for its conservation through interaction with the product. The purpose of this project is to develop an active packaging technology that improves food preservation from the incorporation of active ingredients that provide the appropriate effects for the packaged product. The type of product to be selected for this project is fruits and vegetables, since they are fresh and perishable foods, with a great tendency to decomposition. The active packaging for fruits and vegetables that has been developed is based on two active systems: ethylene absorbers and emitters of antimicrobial agents. The first contains potassium permanganate as an active ingredient, and, the second, essential oils. The application system chosen for both is in sachets in which the adsorbed active substance is introduced into an inert support, specifically activated alumina spheres. The production process of these impregnated spheres would consist of the dissolution of the active substance in a suitable solvent (water for potassium permanganate, and ethyl acetate for essential oils); the impregnation of said substances in the alumina spheres; a solid-liquid separation to separate the impregnated spheres; drying of the spheres; and, finally the dosage of the required amount of spheres in each sachet and the appropriate bagging of these for the protection of their properties. The equipment selected for the process is: closed stirred and jacketed tank for dissolution, closed stirred and jacketed tank (of greater capacity than the previous one) for impregnation of spheres, and Nutsche filter for filtration and drying of impregnated spheres