فصلنامه علوم و فنون بسته بندی
پیاپی 49 (بهار 1401)

The growing concerns about wasting natural resources and the increasing enviromental issues in the world due to the usage of petro-based materials, have led to the advent of bio-degeradable material usage for food packaging.Starch is one the most important polysaccharides which has been widely used for bio-degeradable-film production. the starch-based films are flexible and strong, but the presence of free hydroxyl groups in starch structure, is the reasonf for these films to be hydrophil and due to reduced mechanical strenght and low elasticity is limiting the usage of starch in packaging industries.The purpose of this study is to find ways to improve the properties of films composed of starch. In general, modification techniques, including plastic softners, co-polymers, nano-composites and mixing with other bio-polymers it is possible to modify the functional properties of starch to obtain better films from it. some of these favorable properties are: reducing moisture absorption, water vapour permiability, heat stability, increasing the hydrophobicity, etc. recently,   Non-thermal processes specially cold-plasma have been used for modifying the starch films with good results.

Today, the packaging industry has become a powerful technology that can be used to minimize the activity of bacteria, mold and other disease-causing agents. The use of active and intelligent technologies in food packaging is increasing. In addition to delaying the environmental factors affecting food spoilage, this system uses a more dynamic method to preserve the product and maintain food quality and increase marketability. Active food packaging technologies offer new opportunities to keep food safe. The purpose of this paper is to present the important active packaging systems known to date, which include: oxygen adsorbents, carbon dioxide scavengers / absorbers, moisture absorbers, ethylene adsorbents, ethanol emitters, release systems Flavors, temperature-time indicators, and films containing antimicrobials. This article describes the performance of each active system. Recognizing the benefits of active packaging technologies by the food industry, developing cost-effective active packaging systems, and increasing consumer acceptance, open new frontiers for active packaging. Continued innovations in active packaging are expected to lead to further improvements in food quality, safety and stability.

Fresh slices of kiwi fruit are susceptible to bacterial and fungal contamination due to their lack of skin and improper storage conditions. Therefore, the use of protective coatings is suggested to solve these problems. The aim of this research was to increase the shelf life of fresh kiwi slices in cold conditions. In this research, the samples were immersed in coatings including copper oxide nanoparticles (0, 0.2 and 0.4%) and aloe vera gel (5, 7.5 and 10%) which were obtained based on the central composite statistical design, and They were kept in the refrigerator for four, nine and fourteen days; Then the characteristics of the samples were checked with qualitative tests including pH, acidity, antioxidant, total phenol, color and overall acceptance. Next, the optimal conditions were analyzed and determined based on the results of all the tests on all 17 samples, and two optimal samples were selected for verification tests. The optimal sample was treated with a coating containing 1% aloe vera gel and 1.88% copper oxide nanoparticles, and the second sample was considered as a control sample and was kept in the refrigerator for 10 days. Examining the results of the tests showed that there was a significant difference between the test results of the control and optimal samples. The coatings prevented an increase in pH that causes aging in kiwifruit, and an excessive decrease in pH that causes fungal spoilage, as well as an increase in acidity that leads to fermentation; Other important parameters of coated samples were better preserved.

Food spoilage occurs in different forms during the storage phase. It affects the texture, nutritional value, health quality, taste, and color of foods. Introducing the modern processes of food industries seems useful due to their remarkable expansion in the country. Food packaging is an instance of the processes that have been proposed in the science of food industries and have numerous applications. The Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) is a modern concept in food packaging. The technique modifies the properties of a closed atmosphere in the desired way by manipulating the natural atmosphere of the air (21% Oxygen, 78% Nitrogen, and 0.03% Carbon Dioxide); thus, foods can be stored longer with higher qualities. The MAP technique is applied for various foods like bread, dairy products, meat, chicken, fish, fruits, vegetables, tamarisk and nuts, and flowers/plants. Foods packaged using the MAP technique are stored for longer periods and have higher qualities as their packaging is performed in atmospheres that have higher CO2 percentages compared to other atmospheres. The current study reviewed the applications of the MAP technique in food industries.

The destructive environmental effects caused by the accumulation of plastic and non-degradable materials are one of the most important concerns in the world today. A significant amount of this waste is related to polymers used in food packaging. Therefore, in recent years, experts and practitioners of the food industry have sought to find suitable biodegradable alternatives for synthetic polymers. The purpose of this article is to review composite biodegradable plastics in food and applied studies in this field.

In this research, the construction of a 20,000 ton factory for the production of floating paper from bagasse in Khuzestan province has been examined from an economic point of view. Bagasse is one of the most suitable non-wood raw materials for building new pulp and paper factories. After collecting the required data using the principles of industrial accounting, the economic indicators of the design, including the internal rate of return, the capital return period, as well as the finished price of the product, the break-even point, and the Rial value of sales at the break-even point were calculated. The annual production of floating paper pulp from bagasse was considered 20,000 tons per year in this plan. In this way, the total amount of investment is estimated to be 468,100 million Tomans. For the technical and economic evaluation of the proposed project, economic indicators such as capital return rate, production break-even point and capital return period were used.