Natural Starch Technologies for Packaging Applications

Natural fiber-based transparent composites for food packaging that provide a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-based packaging materials. The composites are made by UV polymerization of alkene and thiol-based monomers with natural fibers like jute. The UV radiation initiates crosslinking reactions to form a tightly bonded matrix around the fibers, resulting in high transparency (>90%) for packaging applications where visibility of contents is essential. The composites offer benefits of natural fiber composites with improved mechanical properties compared to neat polymer films.

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Environmentally friendly packaging material that is biodegradable and/or recyclable. The packaging has a carrier substrate with coating layers. The coating layers are applied in a specific sequence: first coating, second coating directly on the first, and optionally a third coating indirectly on the second. The coating layers contain binders, pigments, and additives like polysaccharides, surfactants, and preservatives. The carrier substrate can be made of cellulose fibers. The coating layers have specific weight percentages of components. The packaging material can be produced using specific coating colors with viscosities suitable for industrial machines. The packaging meets standards like EN 1186 for food safety.

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Low opacity, biodegradable, and heat-sealable paper made from cellulose fibers coated with a bio-based wax to reduce opacity and improve barrier properties. The paper has a base sheet of refined softwood cellulose fibers with a basis weight of 10-25 g/m2. It is coated with a transparency agent like a coconut-based wax and a heat-sealable coating like a thermoplastic starch or protein. The coated paper has opacity less than 35% and can be used for packaging without supercalendering.

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Coating packaging materials like paper and cardboard with a thixotropic aqueous mixture to improve barrier properties like reducing gas and moisture transfer through the material. The coating composition contains smectite clay, a water-soluble polymer, and a cross-linking agent that links the clay to the polymer. Applying the mixture to a surface and heat treating crosslinks the clay-polymer barrier. This provides coated packaging with improved barrier properties for replacing single-use plastic in produce shipping.

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Pulp mold packaging with improved strength, insulation and stackability for fresh product transportation. The packaging has a main body with a cover that attaches inside the main body. This allows for insulation between the main body and cover. The cover has a top and bottom mold with an internal space. The main body has a top mold with an internal space. The cover and main body molds are made of pulp material with a binder, antifoaming agent, and water repellent. Grooves on the molds prevent distortion. A fixed coupling connects the cover bottom to the main body. This prevents jamming when stacked. The internal spaces between the molds can be filled with cellulose foam insulation.

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Bag for packaging fruits and vegetables that prevents mold growth and spoilage without sacrificing visibility of the contents. The bag has a first region made of a polylactic acid (PLA) film and a second region made of a paper sheet. The paper sheet can be a laminate with a resin layer. The paper sheet basis weight is 100 g/m2 or less. The PLA film density is 1.0 g/cm3. The regions are bonded by heat sealing or an adhesive. This configuration using PLA film and paper inhibits mold growth better than just PLA film alone. The paper prevents mold while allowing visibility.

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A natural spray solution to increase the shelf life of chicken meat without using chemicals or preservatives. The solution contains chitosan, lactic acid, glycerol, vitamin C, and vitamin D dissolved in deionized water. The spray solution is applied to chicken meat to create a barrier that prevents microbial growth and spoilage. The solution is prepared by weighing and mixing the ingredients, homogenizing, filtering, ultrasonicating, sterilizing, and packaging.

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Barrier-coated cellulose-based fibrous substrate for use in oxygen-sensitive packaging materials like cartons for liquid foods. The substrate has a cellulose base with a steam-resistant coating and an oxygen barrier coating applied by dispersion coating and drying. The cellulose substrate density is 700-800 kg/m3 and grammage 30-80 g/m2 for good porosity. The steam coating contains inorganic particles and polymer binder. This improves adhesion for the oxygen barrier coating. The substrate provides oxygen barrier in laminated packaging materials.

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Eco-friendly internal packaging material made from a biocomposite of mycelium, pine needles, wheat straw, and wood powder. The composite is reinforced with pine needles and grown using Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium. It provides cushioning and protection for fragile items like electronics while being fully biodegradable. The composite is made by inoculating the substrate with mycelium, sterilizing, growing, and heat treating to cure.

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Preparing porous starch with controllable pore size for encapsulating probiotics. The method involves ultrasonic gelatinization of a composite starch with a specific linear-branch ratio, alcohol precipitation, air drying, and convection drying to form porous starch with pore sizes from 1 to 1000 nm. The pore size can be tuned by adjusting the linear-branch starch ratio. The porous starch with nanoscale pores is used to encapsulate probiotics. The micro-gelatinization environment improves retention of the probiotics inside the starch shell.

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Biodegradable packaging made from paper impregnated with propolis extract to provide biocidal and antioxidant properties. The paper is treated with water or ethanol extracts of propolis, a natural bee product with antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activity. The impregnated paper can prevent microbial growth on food products during storage. The propolis extracts also have antimold and antifungal effects. The paper packaging degrades faster than regular paper due to the nutrients in propolis enriching the soil. Consumers prefer the propolis paper due to its natural origin and health benefits.

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A biodegradable packaging material made from chicken feathers and a biodegradable polymer called polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT). The process involves extracting keratin from chicken feathers and combining it with PBAT to create a biodegradable composite film for packaging applications. The goal is to replace conventional plastics with a sustainable and compostable alternative that reduces waste and environmental impact.

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Sheet for press-through packaging, like for medicine blisters, with improved properties for environmental friendliness and manufacturing ease. The sheet contains vinyl chloride resin, biomass resin, and a plasticizer. It has a specific storage modulus range of 1-2.6 GPa at 30°C. The biomass resin is a butylene succinate like polybutylene succinate. The plasticizer is epoxidized vegetable oil like epoxidized soybean oil. The vinyl chloride resin has low chlorine content. This composition allows manufacturing press-through packages with biomass content over 10% and reduced bleeding of plasticizers during production.

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Packaging for elongated products like LED modules that provides high density packaging without excessive material use. The packaging is made from cellulose fiber-based material and has a carrier with transverse walls forming insertion spaces for the elongated products. A foldable casing surrounds the carrier when closed. The products are inserted longitudinally into pairs of openings in the carrier. This allows dense packaging of multiple products without individual wrapping. The foldable casing provides protection and enclosure.

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Biodegradable keratin-based bioplastic films for packaging applications that are fully biodegradable, made from upcycled natural wastes, and contribute to circular economy. The films contain keratin proteins extracted from animal hair and cellulose nanofibrils. The keratin and cellulose nanofibrils are homogeneously dispersed in the film matrix. The cellulose nanofibrils reinforce the keratin film to improve mechanical properties. The keratin and cellulose nanofibrils form a biodegradable composite film with potential for biodegradable packaging applications.

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Water-soluble film containing gelatin and a modified polyvinyl alcohol resin for use in pharmaceutical packaging. The film dissolves in water to expose the contained drug when submerged. The film has improved properties like water solubility, mechanical strength, and sealing compared to gelatin films. The modified PVA resin is used in combination with gelatin to achieve these properties.

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A process for making biodegradable packaging materials from waste jute bags that has enhanced mechanical strength, water absorption, flame and heat resistance, low thermal conductivity, and high reflectance. The process involves delignifying the waste jute, phosphorylating it, washing, drying, and further treatments like homogenization, sonication, freezing, and lyophilization to modify the jute fiber properties. This results in biodegradable packaging materials with improved functionalities like water absorption, flame retardancy, and low thermal conductivity compared to unmodified jute bags.

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Biodegradable nanocomposite food packaging films that provide enhanced antimicrobial and oxidation inhibition properties to prevent spoilage and pathogen growth. The films are made by incorporating biosynthesized zirconium nanoparticles capped with a bioactive compound called Arachisan derived from peanut leaves. The ArZrNPs provide antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli. They also scavenge free radicals to prevent oxidation. The nanoparticles are dispersed in biodegradable polymer films for sustainable packaging with extended shelf-life and reduced pathogen risk.

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A cork stopper assembly for capping wine bottles that reduces the use of fossil materials and has a better environmental footprint. The stopper is made of a radially elastically deformable material that can be pushed into the bottle neck. The stopper has a head part that protrudes from the bottle and a sealing part that goes inside. The head part can have a decorative disc attached. The stopper is manufactured by deforming it radially, then mounting the decorative disc and fixing it in shape. This allows using a different material for the stopper body compared to the head, reducing fossil-based plastic. The radially deformable stopper can be made of renewable materials like natural cork or bioplastics.

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Polyhydroxyalkanoic acid (PHA) film with improved properties for packaging and agricultural applications. The film has a melt resistivity of 3 MΩ cm or more and 400 MΩ cm or less at 180°C, and a weight retention rate of 97% or more after holding at a temperature 30°C higher than the melting point for 30 minutes. This balances melt processability and film integrity. The film can also have other properties like low melting point, high elongation, and good thermal stability.

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