Selection of Nanomaterial-Based Active Agents for Packaging Application: Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a Tool

Abstract

The interest for using metallic nanoparticles for active packaging derives from its superior antimicrobial efficacy, no negative impacts on the food sensory properties and compatibility with harsh polymer processing conditions. There are a few candidates for this purpose, and the selection of which can be assisted by considering the packaging's environmental impacts. As a case study, three packaging films incorporating different active agents (silver nanoparticles, titanium dioxide nanoparticles and a mixture of both) were evaluated using life cycle assessment and the associated impacts were calculated and compared. The functional unit was set in such a way that it directly focuses on the function that the antimicrobial packaging is supposed to deliver: to ensure food safety and quality. To this end, the antimicrobial efficacy of each agent was integrated in the environmental impact calculation. The results show that the film incorporating the mixture of nanoparticles had the lowest environmental impacts.

Optimizing the Environmental Profile of Fresh-Cut Produce: Life Cycle Assessment of Novel Decontamination and Sanitation Techniques

“…Thus, the filtering membrane serving as the basis of the device was the same Ecoinvent reverse osmosis standard as in the NF-PCD scenario, as well as its disposal. This membrane was coated with silver nanoparticles (AgNP), whose production was modeled based on the report in [52].…”

Encapsulation Systems for Antimicrobial Food Packaging Components: An Update

“…Electrospinning, particularly emulsion and coaxial electrospinning, can be used to produce nanofibers with core-shell morphology. Using this structure, bioactive compounds can be directly incorporated in the core protected by the shell layer minimizing their volatilization or oxidation and reducing their release ratio [159,160]. In emulsion electrospinning, a stabilized emulsion (W/O or O/W) can be used as spinning solution using the conventional electrospinning technology to obtain core-shell nanofibers (Figure 2).…”

Sustainability Analysis of Active Packaging for the Fresh Cut Vegetable Industry by Means of Attributional & Consequential Life Cycle Assessment

“…Here, we just considered the production of the stoichiometric amount of Zn, and not the nanoparticle production itself. It has been claimed that nanoparticle production is an energy-intensive process [65], but nonetheless, the main contributor to the environmental loads from inorganic nanoparticles used for active packages production can be allocated to the manufacturing of the precursors [66], which is here considered. This, together with the fact that nanoparticles represent just 5% of the package's weight, and thus less than 0.2 g per FU is needed, reveals that any possible uncertainty derived from the model assumptions will entail a negligible deviation in the final results.…”