To create a eco-friendly way of packing several varieties of foods
Abstract : Plastics have remained the material of choice, and after serving their intended purpose, a large proportion ends up in the environment where they persist for centuries. The packaging industry is the largest and growing consumer of synthetic plastics derived from fossil fuels. Food packaging plastics account for the bulk of plastic waste that are polluting the environment. Additionally, given the fact that petroleum reserves are finite and facing depletion, there is a need for the development of alternative materials that can serve the same purpose as conventional plastics. This paper reviews the function of packaging materials and highlights the future potential of the adoption of green materials. Biopolymers have emerged as promising green materials although they still have very low market uptake. Polylactic acid (PLA) has emerged as the most favoured bioplastic. However, it is limited by its high cost and some performance drawbacks. Blending with agricultural waste and natural fillers can result in green composites at low cost, low greenhouse gas emissions, and with improved performance for food packaging applications. The continent of Africa is proposed as a rich source of fibres and fillers that can be sustainably exploited to fabricate green composites in a bid to achieve a circular economy.
? That existing knowledge on consumer responses to specific sustainable packaging solutions is limited.
? Similar to the biscuit packages, participants preferred the appearance of the existing meat package (M0) with comments such as “it looks neater than the others”.
? The findings from this study contribute to existing knowledge on consumer opinions and reactions to sustainable packaging materials. This study further confirms that price and quality remain key driving forces for consumers’ purchase intent.
? Biopolymers are those polymers that are produced by living organisms or derived from biomass and after serving their purpose, they degrade within a reasonable time period without causing environmental waste problems.
? The adoption of biodegradable polymers for packaging can provide a solution to waste-disposal problems associated with the traditional petroleum-derived packing materials as well as address the fact that crude oil and natural gas resources are limited.
? This problem is compounded by the use of natural fibre fillers which by nature are hydrophilic particularly cellulosic fibres.
• Natural fibres, including maize fibres, are renewable resources that have also been proposed for biodegradable/recyclable packaging.
• Some researchers have proposed the optimisation of decisions related to industry chain integration and green supply chain management using multi-objective decision making approaches and Pareto-based analysis.
• A large number of agents with antimicrobial properties are being used for the purpose of inhibiting the growth of microorganisms that can lead to deterioration of foodstuffs.
? Some improvements have been achieved, a balance among environmental concerns, economic considerations and product packaging performance is also still lacking.
? There is still great need for basic and applied research to improve their performance, reduce cost and improve their ease of production.
? PLA possesses a wide range of desirable properties including biocompatibility, favourable mechanical properties and it can be moulded into various shapes making its performance comparable to petroleum-based plastics.
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