Summary Reader Response Draft 4

The webpage “Spray-On, Rinse-Off Food ‘Wrapper’ Can Cut Plastic Packaging” by Jones (2022) introduces environmentally friendly alternative food packaging. Food packaging is essential in terms of quality and safety. Not only does it preserve the food, but it also showcases the branding and nutritional details. Jones also says that the downside towards food packaging is the production of plastic pollution, which contaminates soil and drinking water. There is an immense increase in demand for food packaging to be environmentally friendly as the unintended repercussions of plastics become more visible locally and globally (Daly, 2019). Researchers claim that they have been producing a “non-toxic, biodegradable and antimicrobial food coating,” which helps decrease the amount of food waste and foodborne illness without using plastics and is the most effective solution to date (Jones, 2022). Not only is this food coating harmless, but it can also be washed off, degrade in soil and reduce the bacterial and fungal population, allowing the food to stay fresh. The other most recent progress in food packaging is the development of active and intelligent packaging, biodegradable polymers, edible films and coatings (Yan, Hsieh & Ricacho, 2022). As a result, active and biopolymer food packaging should replace traditional plastic food packaging because of the capacity to preserve food, allowing the food to have a longer shelf-life, and ease of packaging production, though some may argue that the packaging will cause involuntary unwanted consumption of contents and it is a weaker packaging. 

Active food packaging should replace traditional food packaging due to its ability to preserve food and it allows packages to interrelate with food and the environment and play a vital role in food preservation (Brody et al., 2008). The authors report that the developments in active packaging have led to various improvements in many areas, “such as delayed oxidation and microbial growth”. Active food packaging serves great potential in maintaining the quality and safety of food products (Yan et al., 2022). Therefore, oxygen scavengers are commonly used and placed in packaged food products to delay oxidation and microbial growth as oxygen residual in food packages causes bacteria to grow speedily, resulting in food spoiling easily. This shows that oxygen scavengers are very effective as they help reduce food waste and maintain the quality and safety of the food. 

Active packaging technology is also able to provide a longer shelf-life for food products, which leads to an extended expiry date and translates into a reduction in food wastage (Sand, 2020). The active packaging interacts with the food products by either releasing substances that have a beneficial effect on the food or its environment or absorbing substances that could accelerate its deterioration. Plant extracts and essential oils, which are examples of active components like antioxidants, are in popular demand to be used on natural products (Yan et al., 2022). With the technology and science behind it, active packaging can extend the shelf-life of food products and at the same time, keep the food fresh and reduce food waste, something that traditional plastic packaging is unable to fulfil.  

Another reason biopolymer packaging should replace traditional food packaging is that packaging made from biopolymers is a commonly used material for their ease of production. Polymer-based food packaging is easily processable and moldable, and it is inexpensive, safe, and lightweight (Yan et al., 2022). Biopolymer food packaging is also able to prevent microbial growth just like active packaging. With the fact that biopolymer is recyclable, harmless, biodegradable and compostable, it fits the consumer and environmental benefits and requirements. “Fruits and vegetables-based biopolymers have been widely used in the preparation of biodegradable films, and such films successfully preserved the food quality as well as improved the shelf-life and sensory characteristics,” according to Abdullah et al. (2022). The authors also say that with all these positive effects of natural biopolymers, their use in the “preparation of edible films has gained significant attention” over the past two decades as a safe alternative to traditional plastic packaging. The fact that biopolymer packaging is not only easy to produce but also environmentally friendly and cost-effective, is something that traditional plastic packaging is unable to achieve.  

However, the problem with active packaging is the involuntary consumption of contents, especially for sachet-based applications (Vilela et al., 2018). There is a risk of the sachets breaking within the food packaging and the chemicals within the sachets leaking out. As these chemicals are difficult for consumers to notice, they will just consume their food without knowing that they are also consuming chemical contents alongside their food. And the drawback of biopolymer packaging is that the material used has low tensile strength and high-water vapour permeability, causing it to be weak and brittle (Shankar & Rhim, 2018). This will be quite a risk as it will not be able to hold food properly and for long. Nevertheless, these issues are not as serious as compared to traditional plastic packaging as both active and biopolymer packaging preserve food longer, provide a longer shelf-life for food, have easier packaging production and do not pollute the environment. 

All in all, active and biopolymer food packaging is much better than traditional plastic food packaging. The non-toxic, biodegradable and antimicrobial food coating that researchers have been working on, according to Jones, is on par with the active and biopolymer food packaging from economic considerations to reducing food waste and improving food shelf life. These various forms of innovative food packaging provide solutions in terms of sustainability, food quality and consumer perception. 

References

Abdullah, N., Cai, J., Hafeez, M. A., Wang, Q., Farooq, S., Huang, Q., Wenni, T., & Xiao, J. (2022b, August 22). Biopolymer-based functional films for packaging applications: A review. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.1000116/full 

Brody, A. L., Bugusu, B., Han, J., Sand, C. A., & McHugh, T. H. (2008, October 8). Scientific status summary. Journal of Food Science, 73(8), 107-116. https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.singaporetech.remotexs.co/doi/full/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2008.00933.x 

Jones, S. (2022, June 24). Spray-on, rinse-off food ‘wrapper’ can cut plastic packaging. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/spray-on-rinse-off-food-lsquo-wrapper-rsquo-can-cut-plastic-packaging/ 

Sand, C. (2020, April 1) Active and intelligent packaging = longer shelf life. Food Technology Magazine, 74(3). https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2020/april/columns/active-and-intelligent-packaging-longer-shelf-life 

Shankar, S., & Rhim, J. (2018, February 24). Bionanocomposite films for food packaging applications. Reference module in Food Science. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780081005965218751 

Vilela, C., Kurek, M., Hayouka, Z., Röcker, B., Yildirim, S., Antunes, M. L. P., Nilsen-Nygaard, J., Pettersen, M. K., & Freire, C. S. R. (2018, n.d.). A concise guide to active agents for active food packaging. Trends in Food Science & Technology: A review. ScienceDirect, 80, 212-222. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224418302760 

Yan, M. R., Hsieh, S., & Ricacho, N. (2022, April 12). Innovative food packaging, food quality and safety, and consumer perspectives. MDPI, 10(4),747. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/10/4/747