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ANALYSING THE STRUCTURE OF BIOPOLYMERS FOR THE FOOD INDUSTRY

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A research group from the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC) in Valencia is using scattering techniques at the ALBA Synchrotron to develop new packaging systems made of biopolymers, an environmentally friendly solution for the food industry.

Cerdanyola del Vallès, 30th October 2018. Plastic is the packaging material of most of the food we consume nowadays. This results in a severe problem as common plastics are made of petroleum - a limited resource with highly variable price - and supposes a huge environmental impact - most plastic wastes need more than 400 years to decompose-.

Researchers from the Food Safety and Preservation department of the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC), located in Paterna (Valencia), are looking for more sustainable ways of producing food packaging with appropriate mechanical and chemical properties. They are investigating biopolymers that can be made from biomass such as algae.

"We need to look for alternative sources which do not compete with food. This is why marine resources such as algae and microalgae are very interesting. They proliferate very quickly, grow in a wide variety of environments and do not interfere with food production", according to Ámparo López-Rubio, researcher at the IATA-CSIC.

Scientists have analysed how adding different microalgae species can modify the properties of starch-based biopolymers. During the process, they have been performing SAXS/WAXS experiments at the refurbished NCD-SWEET beamline of the ALBA Synchrotron, devoted to non-crystalline diffraction. Results show that Spirulina microalgae is a promising alternative for replacing part of the corn starch matrix of biopolymers, as it improves the oxygen and water vapour barrier properties, thus maintaining food in better conditions.

"It should also be highlighted that there is another important advantage of these biopolymers based on microalgae. Their production can be easily scaled-up and applied in industrial processes", says Marta Martínez-Sanz, another researcher of the IATA-CSIC group.

IM-IATA_CSIC_Biopolymers_NCDSWEET_1  IM-IATA_CSIC_Biopolymers_NCDSWEET_2

 At the left, users Marta Martínez Sanz and Amparo López Rubio from IATA-CSIC at the NCD-SWEET experimental hutch. Next, both users together with Juan Carlos Martínez, scientist from the ALBA Synchrotron.

IM-IATA_CSIC_Biopolymers_NCDSWEET_3

Fig: At the left, WAXS patterns of the neat starch film and its biocomposites containing microalgae. At the right, SAXS patterns of the neat starch film and its biocomposites containing microalgae.

 

Reference: Structural and physicochemical characterization of thermoplastic corn starch films containing microalgae. M. J. Fabra, M. Martínez-Sanz, L.G. Gómez-Mascaraque, R. Gavara, A. López-Rubio. Carbohydrate Polymers 186 (2018) 184-191


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NCD-SWEET upgrade has been co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the Framework of the Smart Growth Operative Programme 2014-2020.


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