Use of Cellulosic Materials from Agricultural Residues for Antibacterial Food Packaging: Biodegradable antimicrobial packaging for uncooked meat, poultry & seafood.

Contribution under “Research Infrastructure on Food Bioprocessing Development and Innovation Exploitation – Food Innovation RI” (MIS 5027222), which is implemented under the Action “Reinforcement of the Research and Innovation Infrastructure”, funded by the Operational Programme "Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (NSRF2014-2020) and co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund). The project included work on the preparation of Nano cellulose from Agricultural residues for recycling of annually renewable resources, and utilizing Nano and Micro cellulose crystals and tubes for various possibilities. Biodegradable packaging for food industries could be prepared using nano cellulose and mixed with the matrix of Poly-lactic acid (PLA), a biopolymer. PLA was also biosynthesized in the lab microbial fermentation bioprocess by Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) using an industrial effluent (the lactose sugar present in the Dairy industry by-product – Whey). The packaging is needed for raw uncooked Meat, Fish, and Seafood to extend their shelf life and inhibit the contamination of spoilage microorganisms. Organic, and inorganic types of antimicrobials are used in the food industry as preservatives. The research has been conducted and published by us at Ulster University on the search for antibacterial, antifungal compounds in the extracts and essential oils extracted from several medicinal herbs, and culinary spices. These natural antimicrobials can be incorporated into the cellulosic packaging material, as a safer, cheaper, and environment-friendly option, for biodegradable packaging for the food industry.
References
Our research/ publications on Nano cellulose, and Antimicrobial activities are available on
https://pure.ulster.ac.uk/en/persons/poonam-singh-nee-nigam