Biotechnological Innovations in Packaging and Sensors in the Food Processing
Abstract
The global bioplastics and biopolymers market size is expected to grow from USD 10.5 billion in 2020 to USD 27.9 billion by 2025, Bioplastics and Biopolymers Market by Type (Non-Biodegradable/Bio-Based, Biodegradable), End-Use Industry (Packaging, Consumer Goods, Automotive and Transportation, Textiles, Agriculture and Horticulture), and this high growth is driven primarily by the growth of the global packaging end-use industry. Food packaging has a crucial function in the modern food industry. New food packaging technologies seek to meet consumers' and industrial demands. Changes related to food production, sale practices and consumers’ lifestyles, along with environmental awareness and an advance in new areas of knowledge such as biotechnology, act as driving forces to develop smart packages that can extend food shelf-life. Food producers gradually demand effective quality control procedures to satisfy and regulate consumer requirements to enhance production feasibility, automation, quality sorting and decrease the time and cost of production. Biosensors can be used to identify food allergens and pathogens rapidly and efficiently. It can also overcome all these disadvantages by offering quick, inexpensive and non-destructive procedures for quality control.
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Introduction
Fresh food products get easily degraded due to physical injuries resulting from handling, transportation, storage, or intrinsic factors caused by chemical reactions, enzyme action, and microbial spoilage. The use of packaging is therefore a strategic choice for protecting and conserving food (Rodrigues et al., 2021). Packaging has four basic functions, viz., Containment, convenience, protection and communication. Food packaging is a vital element of the food industry, as it supports all operations associated with the processing, handling, transport, and distribution of the contained food (Marangoni Junior et al., 2022). In today'sfood industry, packaging is a foundation that performs several important tasks to ensure product quality and consumer safety. It acts as a shield and protects against external elements such as bacteria, insects, light, heat, oxygen and odours, thus preserving the food during its shelf life. In addition to this basic function, it also serves as a means of communication with consumers. It conveys important information through labels, branding and design, meeting the convenience and time-saving needs of today'sconsumers (Bhatlawande et al., 2023).
Generally, packaging is classified based on the material type used for packaging, which can be divided into metal, glass, polymer, paper cardboard, wood, textile, multi-layered, ceramic and other types (Ivankovic et al., 2017). Over half a century, plastic packaging has prevailed owing to its versatility and cost-effectiveness, eclipsing traditional materials such as glass, metal, paper, and cardboard. As a result of their non-biodegradable nature and pollution generated throughout their life cycle, petroleum-based plastics have catalysed a cascade of environmental concerns. In response to these pressing issues, the industry is undergoing a rapid transition towards eco-friendly packaging, with biodegradable and bioplastic materials, derived from biomass and characterized by their biodegradability, gaining remarkable traction (Bhatlawande et al., 2023). Biodegradable and renewable materials represent a great alternative for protecting the environment and transforming underutilized products or industrial waste materials into valuable products. In this sense, bioplastics have begun to gain prominence (Salgado et al., 2021).
FIGURE 1: Traditional food packaging functions (Salgado et al., 2021)
Conclusion
In today'sfood industry, packaging is a foundation that performs several important tasks to maintain food quality, extend shelf life, and ensure consumer safety. New food packaging technologies seek to meet consumers' and industrial demands. The changes related to food production, sale practices, consumer lifestyles, environmental awareness, and the advances in new fields of knowledge such as biotechnology, act as driving forces to develop smart packages that can extend food shelf-life. The safety monitoring as well as nutritional parameters of food is vital. The traditional analytical methods for safety and quality monitoring are time-consuming and need well-trained operators, thus there is a necessity to produce rapid, sensitive as well as reliable methods to monitor food safety and quality rapidly. Also, food producers gradually demand effective quality control procedures to satisfy and regulate consumer requirements to enhance production feasibility, automation, quality sorting and decrease the time and cost of production. Biosensors can overcome all these disadvantages by offering quick, inexpensive and non-destructive procedures for quality control and pave the way for quick identification of food allergens, pathogens, and pesticide residues.
