ipack 2018

••• 7 ••• Innovazioni Con il grafene il packaging diventa hi-tech Il grafene per realizzare un packaging che consenta una miglior conservazione degli alimenti, con la possibilità di recu- perare il materiale dai packaging usati e reimpiegarlo nella produzione di nuovi. È questo l’obiettivo del progetto GRA- FOOD (Active GRAphene based FOOD packaging systems), che vede come par- tner l’Università di Camerino e la Techni- cal University of Cluj Napoca in Romania in veste di capo progetto. Il primo tra- guardo è lo sviluppo di un prototipo di packaging basato su film di carta e acido polilattico modificato (PLA) con ossido di grafene, attivato da probiotici e da na- no particelle di biossido di titanio con il proposito di caratterizzare il packaging destinato alla conservazione del formag- gio e della carne e avviare la procedura per omologare il packaging PLA e otte- nere i brevetti rumeni ed europei. Food safety: Is that meat still good? The transparent patch can moni- tor the contents for harmful pathogens such as E. coli and Sal- monella. The new technology has the potential to replace the tradi- tional “best before” date on food and drinks alike with a de- finitive indication that it’s time to chuck that roast or pour out that milk. “In the future, if you go to a store and you want to be sure the meat you’re buying is safe at any point before you use it, you’ll have a much more reliable way than the expiration date,” says lead author Hanie Yousefi, a graduate student and research assistant in McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering. If a pathogen is present in the food or drink in- side the package, it would trigger a signal in the packaging that could be read by a smartphone or other simple device. The test itself does not affect the con- tents of the package. According to the World Health Organization, foodborne patho- gens result in approximately 600 million illnesses and 420,000 deaths per year. About 30 per cent of those cases involve chil- dren five years old and younger. The researchers are naming the new material “Sentinel Wrap” in tribute to the McMaster-based Sentinel Bioactive Paper Net- work, an interdisciplinary re- search network that worked on paper-based detection systems. That network’s research ulti- mately gave rise to the new food- testing technology. Researchers Hanie Yousefi and Tohid Didar examine a transpa- rent patch which can be used in food packaging to detect patho- gens. Photo: McMaster University Continued from page 1 www. me g a d y n e g r o u p . c om Megadyne and Ave combine their knowledge to better serving the Beverage industry: chains and modular belts, special reworked belts and coated belts. Passion for innovation and huge experience to meet our customer’s expectations . Visit us at: MEGADYNE + AVE MANY SOLUTIONS JUST ONE PARTNER ALUMINIUM AUTOMOTIVE & TYRE ELEVATORS FITNESS FOOD MACHINE TOOLS MATERIAL HANDLING PACKAGING PAPER & PRINT ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION WOOD TOBACCO 29|01 JUNE 2018 - MILAN - ITALY VISIT US: STAND: D21 HALL: 7