NAFISPACK

Natural Antimicrobials For Innovative and Safe Packaging

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The main objective of the present project is to develop novel packaging technologies that will avoid/reduce and detect the growth of pathogens and spoilage microoganism responsible for product lost in perishable food products of interest: fresh fish, fresh chicken and minimally processed vegetables (MPVs). The target foods were selected among many, for different reasons: the consumption of MPVs is hugely increasing in all European countries and therefore, it is important to heighten the vigilance around that products; it is necessary to rebuild a consumers’ confidence for chicken; fish is probably the most perishable product. Anyway, any of them is an increasing area of consumption and interest. The new technologies will improve food quality and extend the relatively short life of these fresh food products. The concern about synthetic preservatives is steadily rising, due to a limited documentation on safety and tolerance. Instead, Natural Antimicrobials (NAs), which occur abundantly in environment where they evolved as host defence mechanisms, are generally considered as safer and better tolerable. Though NAs will be used in the active material development, a systematic and scientific based work will be carried out in order to fully assess the safety of the new packages developed. Thus, along three years, NAFISPACK will develop novel food packaging technologies and novel tools for risk-benefit assessment of these technologies (basis for a risk management tool and address policy needs in the area of food contact materials): i) Active packaging technologies based on natural antimicrobials ii) Intelligent packaging technologies based on monitoring of quality indicating metabolites iii) Combination of both antimicrobial and intelligent packaging technologies aimed to increase safety and quality of fresh food products during longer periods of time.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Technology is bringing ingenious ways to tell if packaged food is as safe as it should be. Consumers will be able to 'read' freshness right off the package.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Ever wondered about the safety of packaged food and what risks are involved? The Nafispack project, funded for the most part by the EU, has embarked on a mission to develop packaging technology to avoid or reduce microorganisms that cause spoilage. This applies especially to perishable products such as fresh fish, fresh chicken and minimally processed vegetables (MPVs).

Fish and chicken have long been on the health and safety radar, but MPV consumption is a relatively new and growing phenomenon in Europe, which is why Nafispack is aiming to improve packaging in this area.

Another important concern is consumers' increasing awareness about synthetic preservatives and their desire for alternatives. Instead of such preservatives, the project is considering natural antimicrobials, which occur abundantly in the environment and are considered much safer. Nafispack is currently validating the safety of new packaging materials that contain these antimicrobials.

In more specific terms, Nafsipack is trying to increase shelf life by two to three days for fresh fish, chicken and MPVs. Through thorough risk assessment, it wants to ensure that the natural antimicrobials are stable, cost-effective, available and comply with the law.

Another angle the project is focusing on is to create 'intelligent packaging'. This a technology based on monitoring the quality of the food. This involves new visual and measurable indicators built into the packaging, informing the consumer about quality and the degree of spoilage. In a way this represents a much more high-tech method than the current 'best before' and 'use by' philosophy.

When intelligent packaging is combined with antimicrobials, the result is expected to supersede current technology. It will increase safety and quality of fresh food products for significantly longer, raising consumer confidence and strengthening food safety.