FoodSafeBioPack (2021-2025)

• Obtaining a multi-scale description of the transfer problem of contaminants
• Characterising the properties of a universal functional barrier based on cellulose microfibrils (CFMs)

Aim of the project

The law on the fight against waste and the circular economy and the ‘Single Use Plastic’ directive have been implemented with objectives to reduce plastic waste and increase the use of recycled and biosourced materials. As cellulosic materials are biosourced, biodegradable and recyclable, they are one of the solutions chosen by manufacturers as an alternative to plastics.
However, the issue of contaminant transfer to food needs to be considered in order to guarantee the long-term use of these materials in food packaging.
The project is designed to achieve two main objectives: i) a multi-scale description of cross-contamination between materials and foodstuffs and ii) to propose a global corrective action based on MFCs as a universal functional barrier.

A better understanding of the French market
The first task of the project will provide an overview of the cellulosic materials currently used in France and will establish the assumptions applied throughout the project. Packaging materials (with at least one cellulosic component) and the corresponding food products will be encoded in a single database.
Characterising the cellulosic materials
All the cellulosic materials required for the project will be produced at the CTP using a developed and patented technique known as ‘wet lamination’ (a continuous film of MFC is deposited on the surface of the paper/cardboard to give it barrier properties). These materials will be experimentally characterised by 3SR to identify the organisation and morphologies of the fibrous network at microscopic and nanoscopic scales. The aim is to design representative 3D numerical models of these networks and fibres.
Migration kinetics, thermodynamic and transport properties
To gain a better understanding of contamination pathways in fibres and foodstuffs on a microscopic scale, several mechanisms will be studied at INRAe and LNE using multispectral imaging of contaminants (Raman, Fluorescence, medium infrared): gas phase pathway, surface diffusion, adsorption, condensation, liquid infiltration... Characterisation of the thermodynamic and transport properties of materials and foods will then be carried out (sorption and permeation) to identify the role of the arrangement of solid components (fibres, MFC, foods) on barrier properties.
Modelling migration in cellulosic materials
All the data gathered during the project will be integrated into migration models, adapted to cellulosic materials. Extending the use of migration modelling for plastics (authorised since 2002, Regulation 10/2011/EC) to fibrous materials will increase the competitiveness of cellulosic materials by reducing the need for long and tedious analyses.