The first pilot scale production of NanoPack packaging films

The first pilot scale production of NanoPack packaging films took place at the production site of Constantia Flexibles (CFlex) in Vienna, Austria. Two different NanoPack packaging films were produced, a multilayer polyethylene cast film and an extrusion coated aluminum foil. Polymer resins containing halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) loaded with a mixture of natural essential oils were used in both film production techniques.

Join the NanoPack Stakeholder Forum

The NanoPack Stakeholder Forum is up and running as a LinkedIn group, where representatives of opinion leaders, regulators, food producer associations, food industry, retailers and consumer organisations are invited to engage in discussions about active packaging, nanotechnology, consumer perceptions and the developments taking place within the NanoPack project. For more information or requests to join click here or contact Rallou Salakou (r.salakou@effost.org).

Successful project review meeting

In September 2018, the NanoPack Work Package leaders came together for the fourth project meeting at the production site of Constantia Flexibles (CFlex) in Vienna, Austria. The meeting once again allowed the partners to present and discuss their most research results in the areas of: scale-up of methods for loading natural halloysite nanotubes with essential oils and incorporating them into polymers used in food packaging films, pilot NanoPack film production, progress towards regulatory compliance, and innovation management activities.

On the second day, the partners were taken on a tour of the Constantia plant and a live demonstration of NanoPack films being produced on the CFlex pilot line.

The meeting concluded the mid-term project review by the European Commission representative, who concluded that NanoPack has succeeded in meeting its objectives for the first half the project, and in some case exceeded the expectations in terms of results generated so far.

Consumer research showcased at AIPIA World Congress 2018

The booth of the NanoPack Project drew much attention at the AIPIA – Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association Congress held in Amsterdam on 20-21 November, 2018. We were approached by many different stakeholders, and in particular by representatives of food packaging companies, who showed great interest in the NanoPack solution. Visitors to the booth were eager to learn more about the product and were particularly interested in technical aspects.

As part of the event, Alexandra Festila from Aarhus University MAPP Centre presented results of their consumer studies within the NanoPack project. In the highly attended presentation she gave key insights into retailers’ and consumers’ opinions on active packaging technologies and proposes possible solutions to alleviate the concerns that emerge. Some initial insights from consumer studies suggest that:

• Nanotechnology is not necessarily perceived negatively, although many people only have a limited understanding of the technology
• There are mixed perceptions the use of natural essential oils in active food packaging
• The fact that a product has a long shelf life may not directly equate to the concept of preserving freshness, as perceived by consumers. Many consumers view “fresh foods” as those recently produced or those that are not highly processed.

Sustainability Awards finalist

NanoPack reached the final four in the Resource Efficiency category of the Packaging Europe Sustainability Awards 2018. NanoPack was selected because of its sustainable solutions for enhancing food safety by inhibiting growth of microbes in food products, which will prevent early spoilage and foodborne illness outbreaks.

A European Success Story

The European Commission has featured NanoPack as one of their EU Research Success Stories, highlighting the importance of the project’s contribution towards reducing the staggering 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste that we generate globally each year.

Better Food for Better Life Conference

Project coordinator, Prof. Ester Segal presented participated in a special workshop on “Identifing new methods of waste reduction, labelling and food safety” as part of the Better Food for Better Life Conference, on 27 November in Strasbourg. Prof. Segal presented NanoPack’s noval packaging solution and explained how it can reduce waste by increasing shelf life

32nd EFFoST International Conference

NanoPack participated at the 32^nd European Federation of Food Science and Technology (EFFoST) International Conference, which took place on 6-8 November in Nantes, France. There was great interest in the project from stakeholder representing the food industry and academia. Samples of types of NanoPack packaging were exhibited to visitors at the conference.