Edible Packaging Produced from Whey
İzmir Yüksek Teknoloji Enstitüsü (İYTE) Professor Sacide Alsoy Altınkaya, Head of Chemical Engineering, and her team have developed edible food packaging material using whey.
Global bioplastic production is increasing rapidly due to the environmental damage caused by petroleum-derived plastics. A new bioplastic derived from edible biomass sources has been added from İzmir. Altınkaya and her team, working to develop packaging material that is harmless to the environment and human health, focused on whey, which is underutilized in the dairy industry. Combining whey powder with corn protein, both high in protein content and used in energy drinks, Altınkaya and her team succeeded in developing a flexible and durable raw material. The resulting packaging material successfully passed tests and was granted patent protection following a 4-year development process.Altınkaya on her project:
"When we started this project, we faced two problems. One was ensuring the packaging's durability. That is, preventing it from tearing, making it flexible. The second was controlling the moisture permeability of the packaging. For many foods, maintaining a moisture environment is a very important matter in terms of packaging performance. For example, if you are packaging fresh fruits and vegetables, you need to prevent water loss. If you are packaging dry foods like biscuits, you need to prevent water absorption. This disadvantage that exists in all bioplastics applied to packaging made from whey as well. We took advantage of the opportunities offered by nanotechnology. We adhered to ethical principles. In this work, we took whey powder. We dissolved it in water. We added nanoparticles derived entirely from corn protein of biological origin and eliminated both problems." she said. Source: AAAdvertisement
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