WP 2.2Spoke 02

New technologies for food waste reduction

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Blog postJul 18, 2024

Circular economy, innovative processes, and new green technologies to reduce food waste and make the most of by-products


The issue of packaging has been extensively studied with regard to recycled plastics and bioplastics, as plastic waste continues to accumulate and pose environmental problems. 

While plastic has a lower environmental impact in production than alternatives such as paper, glass, or aluminium, the EU’s Green Deal (2019) aims to improve food safety by revising regulations on materials intended for food contact and promoting reusable and recyclable packaging. However, the recyclability of plastics poses difficulties due to the high levels of contaminants in recycled plastics. Bioplastics, which can be biodegradable or non-biodegradable and derived from natural materials, are a potential solution to this problem. WP 2.2 activities will focus on specific technologies in this area.

Another fruitful area of research to create a positive impact on reducing food waste is the sanitisation of fresh food, which is particularly susceptible to rapid degradation. The WP 2.2 research activities focus on studying and implementing innovative technologies to prevent microbiological contamination and improve food safety while reducing the use of chemicals. This is especially important because microbial contamination is one of the main causes of the deterioration of fresh food products.

In addition, the use of microbial and enzymatic biotechnologies to obtain new food products and added-value foods is another area of focus. This technology can prevent food waste by using microorganisms and their metabolites to protect food from biological risks, such as using bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria. Microorganisms can also be used in agriculture and post-harvest to prevent the growth of pathogens and prolong the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, thus preventing losses at the agricultural level. Bioprotective cultures are becoming more popular as a natural way to control food safety and shelf life.

Task and deliverables

Task 2.2.1.

Smart and sustainable bio-based active food packaging (e.g., biopolymers from food waste/by- products upcycling, thin films and coatings incorporating bioactive compounds) (in connection with Spokes 3 and 4).

Task 2.2.2.

Innovative technologies for sanitization of fresh food products to reduce food wastes (in connection with Spokes 3 and 4).

Task 2.2.3.

Microbial and enzymatic biotechnologies to obtain new products/novel foods/added-value compounds from food by-products and food waste with high shelf-life, digestibility, nutritional value, low anti- nutritional factors and undesired microorganisms and compounds (in connection with Spokes 3 and 4).

Task 2.2.4.

New strategies and technologies for storage of food commodities to reduce wastes, including modelling and optimization of storage conditions according to different packaging solutions, optimization of the energy consumption in conditioned atmosphere and refrigeration processes (in connection with Spokes 1 and 7).

Milestones

M2.2.1.1.

List of biopolymers and bioactive compounds from upcycling of food waste/by-products to be used in smart and sustainable packaging (M18)

M2.2.2.1.

Report on the sanitization targets by classes of products and quality assessment (M12)

M2.2.2.2.

Optimization and scale-up of non-thermal processes for specific food products (M18)

M2.2.3.1.

List of suitable microbial starter cultures/enzymes useful for novel biotechnological processes (M24)

M2.2.3.2.

Biotechnological protocols optimised to produce new products/novel foods/added value compounds with high shelf life, digestibility and nutritional value and low content of anti-nutritional factors (M24)

M2.2.4.1.

Report on best storage and operational solutions for food waste control and reduction (M18).