VEGE-PACK turns plant waste into compostable packaging with active properties

The reuse of plant by-products as raw materials for packaging solutions was at the heart of VEGE-PACK, a research project focused on developing compostable films and nets with functional properties. Its aim was to make use of compounds obtained from agricultural waste to produce packaging materials that could help extend the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetables.

The project ran from July 2019 to July 2022 and brought together companies specialising in fruit and vegetable production and marketing, as well as packaging manufacturing. The consortium was led by L’Alhóndiga-La Unión, with the participation of Ecoplas, a manufacturer of agricultural nets, and Morera y Vallejo, which produces films for various applications, including fresh produce packaging.

Plant-based compounds to give packaging new properties

The initiative built on the results of the BIOVEGE project, which had explored the use of agricultural by-products as vitamin supplements and food colourings. VEGE-PACK aimed to extract functional additives from cherimoya, pepper and avocado waste and incorporate them into matrices made from commercial biopolymers.

The goal was to obtain materials that could be processed using conventional extrusion techniques and provide antimicrobial, antifungal and anti-germination properties. These packaging solutions were therefore intended to help reduce food deterioration and maintain product quality for longer.

Films and nets for different fresh produce applications

The proposed solutions included skin-pack films for cucumbers and courgettes, materials for flow-pack packaging, and oriented and non-oriented nets for fresh fruit and vegetables.

In addition to being compostable, these materials were designed to provide active functions that could help preserve packaged produce. The project thus combined the valorisation of plant waste with the development of alternative packaging solutions for the agri-food sector.

VEGE-PACK received funding through the CDTI's Cooperative Research and Development Projects programme, with support from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and co-financing from European Union Structural Funds under Spain's 2014–2020 Multi-regional Operational Programme.

Source

Plataforma Tierra. (s. f.). VEGE-PACK. Envases compostables (film y malla) funcionalizados con productos procedentes de residuos vegetales. https://www.plataformatierra.es/proyecto/vege-pack