NanoPackSafer

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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_at_deb.
uminho.pt
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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.
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Nanotechnology
According to the European Commissions
Recommendation (EFSA)
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Nanotechnology
According to the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA)
Functionality
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Motivation
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Nano-engineered films and coatings
Nano-engineered films and coatings
Nano-engineered films and coatings
Nano-engineered films and coatings - Clay
nanoparticles
Nano-engineered films and coatings - Clay
nanoparticles
Nano-engineered films and coatings - Clay
nanoparticles
From Macro to Micro to Nano - Can you see me?
Can you see me?
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Nano-engineered films and coatings
Nano-engineered films and coatings
Nano-engineered films and coatings
Nano-engineered films and coatings - Clay
nanoparticles
Nano-engineered films and coatings - Clay
nanoparticles
Nano-engineered films and coatings - Clay
nanoparticles
Nanotechnology the promise of a food revolution

• 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
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Nano-engineered films and coatings - nanolaminates
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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

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Nano-engineered films and coatings - nanolaminates
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Nano-engineered films and coatings - nanolaminates
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Nano-engineered films and coatings - nanolaminates

• Characterization of the nanolayered film

Gas barrier properties
Films Thickness (µm) WVP x 1011 (g.m-1.s-1.Pa-1) Improved barrier O2P x 1014 (g.m.Pa-1.s-1.m-2) Improved barrier
Aminolyzed PET 103.00 1.42 0.39 --------- 2.50 0.03 --------
PET 5 layers 103.27 1.08 0.10 --------- 2.12 0.03 --------
5 layers 0.27 0.019 0.005 --------- 0.069 0.006 --------
Pectin1 100-150 61.9 5.6 14.2 ------------ ---------
Chitosan2 45-50 8.60 0.14 38.9 7.12 0.23 170

• 1 Hoagland and Parris (1996). Journal of
  Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 44, 1915-1919
• 2 Fajardo et al. (2010). Journal of Food
  Engineering.

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Release from chitosan nanolayered films in liquid
medium
K-carrageenan/chitosan nanolayered film with a
model compound (Methylene Blue) incorporated on
the 2nd, 4th or 6th layer
aminolyzed PET



-
-
-
-


-
water
water
-
Negatively Charged 0.2 k-carrageenan pH 7
Positively Charged 0.2 chitosan, pH 3 or 0.3
of Methylene Blue, pH 7
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Release from chitosan nanolayered films in liquid
medium
MB release from nano layered films

• Incubation of films in 0.01 M PBS
• pH 2 and 7
• MB release evaluated by UV-VIS spectroscopy at
  600 nm

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Release from chitosan nanolayered films in liquid
medium
MB release from nano layered films
Nanolayered films with MB in the 6th Layer
Ficks transport Anomalous behaviour Fick 1
main reconfiguration
ok
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Release from chitosan nanolayered films in liquid
medium
MB release from nano layered films
Nanolayered films with MB in the 2nd and 4th
Layers
pH2
pH7
Ficks transport Anomalous behaviour Fick 1
main reconfiguration
Ficks transport Anomalous behaviour Fick 1
main reconfiguration
ok
Strong electrochemical interaction - affects the
transport mechanism, which cannot be described by
neither Fickian nor anomalous behaviour

• Normal interaction
• behaves as a macro polymeric
• network

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Applications

• Application on mangoes

Contact angle
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Applications

• Application on mangoes Shelf-life analysis

Weight loss
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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
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Applications

• Application on mangoes Appearance after 45
  days

Without coating
With pectin/chitosan nanolayers
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Applications
Application on pears Appearance after 7 days
of refrigerated storage
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Take-home messages
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Thank you for your attention