The new century, China’s food industry the first major reform initiatives are: one month since 2000, beginning one day, a “degradable” of food packaging materials, phase out the use of non-degradable material to control the disturbing “white pollution “, for the next step,” Edible packaging “lay the foundation for the development of edible packaging is one of the world food industry development of new technology trends, it has covered a wide range of applications, such as casings, fruit wax, sugar, rice paper, clothing and ice coated tablets and so on.

Edible packaging because feature-rich, environmentally sound, easy, fit for human consumption, thus competing for the food industry in developed countries in recent years of research and development, new products, new technologies are emerging, foreign edible packaging has the following dynamic.

Dynamic one: the latest research

The United States has at least eight university established the Department of edible food packaging study. University of Minnesota Department of Food Science and Nutrition has developed a group to study with different components of food and edible films. Clemens University of Agriculture and Biological Engineering Department of the extensive membrane protein edible film materials research. University of Wisconsin, led by Group, the use of polysaccharide and fat wet resistance developed no less than double-layer edible films of polyethylene film, and use it to a “food analog” and get superior results.

Led by the French to Group also carried out extensive research Edible Films. Japan, Germany is also the same area of extensive research carried out. It is worth mentioning in particular the United States and Japan are in the field has accumulated a large number of patented technology.

Dynamic Two: Multi-functional edible films

Edible packaging emerging as one of the areas are the development of multi-edible packaging films, primarily by natural water-soluble polymer membranes, or a combination of hydrophobic emulsifier as the membrane material and liquid, with a variety of add preservatives, and even with add biological activity of enzymes such as objects in the agricultural or food coating the surface, forming a layer of dry film is almost invisible, the wet layer membrane with resistance, gas resistance, pest control, anti-corrosion, anti-oxidation, anti-browning, disease resistance different nature, and edible.

For example, thin-skinned fruits, large leafy vegetables and cauliflower usually want the membrane with fresh fruits and vegetables together and was taken to the entrance, and asked not to be found. Cakes, candy packaging, and some animal products in packaging that is also able to import and delicious transparent, and have appropriate wet-resistance, only features such as oxygen and anti-corrosion and high-grade and more practical.

Dynamic Three: biodegradable man-made artificial casings casings research is the development of one of the areas

On the one hand, man-made synthetic casings, such as nylon casings, casings, such as polychlorinated ethylene Asia has been a wide range of practical applications. Intensity of their resistance, cooking, flexible, with no flooding before use; On the other hand, because of man-made synthetic material casings are not edible and therefore consumption of artificial casings for the provision of good development opportunities.

Have been invented by man-made edible collagen casings casings fibrin. It is divided into two separately and Naturin called Devro, they are made with leather denatured plasma protein collagen fibers Mission, and then squeezed into pressure. However, “Na-turin” the variability of temperature and the stability of the natural casings are not, and “Devro” high and the shrinkage, it will have to improve.

The use of calcium alginate film attempts to create artificial casings have a lot of, but has not been able to create a market for the use of the casing on it, due to its lack of contraction, plus it was too weak when wet, and too fragile, they do crack. Therefore, it needs to be able to overcome their weaknesses to find the composite material to improve processing. Although cellulose casings casings can not eat, but after all, are from natural plant materials, synthetic biodegradable casings. It is especially tough, high-stretch and moisture-resistant, etc. Change has been the use of sausages in Frankfurt.

Dynamic four: Microencapsulation of food flavor or fragrance microcapsule technology, and promote the edible packaging materials research and application process

The use of edible film-forming Microencapsulation Materials can be solid to liquid spices, can be volatile spices put into a difficult loss of volatile spices, put the bad dispersion of spices easily dispersed into spices, spices put into a fat-soluble water-soluble perfume. Microencapsulation of spices can enhance the stability of it from moisture, oxidation, ultraviolet light and micro-organisms and so on.

It is true that edible packaging technology and micro-capsule technology is independent of each other the two new technologies, but the two technologies used in the materials usually the same one source. Thus the nature of the material in research and application, these two technologies can promote each other and develop side by side.

Today, the use of high-temperature state for mucus edible materials, the absorption by the heat from the fruit and flowers in the rapid dissemination of the aroma components, direct the formation of a balloon Shannon insignificant. Then by cooling to ambient temperature, so that mucus into a solid, and then crushed by the rich and have become long-term preservation of the aroma of food additives. For example: there is the trial of the status of flowers and sugar melt mixing, flower in a large number of aromatic constituents into sugar, the formation of small incense airbags, a few months after the cooling will not be lost and the loss of flavor. This use of hot sugar solution and fixed aroma extraction technology has been popular in foreign countries.

In addition to spices, the food needs of the other volatile components can also be retained to rely on micro-encapsulation technology to protect, such as pigments, vitamins and so on.

Dynamic Friday: multi-purpose packaging edible edible packaging films as a carrier and broad prospects

Rich in vitamin B1 can be used such as the edible film of liquid water for their fine fortified rice.add various features mentioned additives, such as sorbic acid can be enriched to the edible film, such as meat and cheese surface corrosion. To take such high levels of local antiseptic, preservative content of the overall approach is very low, greatly improve the efficiency of the preservatives and additives to reduce the dosage, so as to reduce their negative effects on consumers.

Edible packaging also uses lot of strange. Queensland, Australia, such as potato chips, a container of potato chips produced container, and its taste is not inferior to the best potato chips in order to make quick containers enjoy. The use of edible coatings containing pigment, food coloring on the hard surface staining, can reduce the total volume of pigment, coloring pigment as well as enlarging the scope and improve the effectiveness and stability of the staining. The United States invented and has been applied on commercial ice bottle, it is summer at the seaside to buy a bottle of ice-bottled soft drinks, cool drink with a very comfortable, after finish all the beer bottles of course, does not pollute the beauty of the environment.

Edible packaging materials because of the inherent nature of polymer and synthetic materials have various limitations, is currently far from being able to replace the synthetic polymer materials in food packaging status. At the same time, edible natural biodegradable packaging and plastics for further research and development is inseparable from the development of high technology.