Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Raw Materials from the Northeast for Smart Packaging

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Mar 26 2012 (IPS) - The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA) has opened a laboratory in the northeast Brazilian city of Fortaleza for the development of biodegradable and edible packaging. “Packaging increases the longevity and safety of food products, but it also accounts for a large share of disposable plastic waste,” said Vitor Hugo de Oliveira, the general manager of the EMBPRAPA Tropical Agroindustry department, who is in charge of the laboratory that will “concentrate efforts for the creation and production of smart packaging.”

EMBRAPA already produces biodegradable packaging, such as cling film and edible wrappings made from pulp which inhibit the loss of moisture and gas exchange with the surrounding environment, thus prolonging the shelf life of food products, he told Tierramérica.

This type of packaging is produced in other research centers, usually from corn. The mission now is to adapt these technologies to raw materials offered by Brazilian biodiversity, such as carnauba wax or the pulp of tropical fruits, among others.