During avocado processing for the production of derived foods, a residue is produced that can exceed 45% of the total weight of the fruit. To give a second life to these residues and extend the life of the manufactured product, aimplas, Technological Institute of Plastic, develops the Guacapack project, led by the company ITC-Packaging and in which the research group of Analysis of Polymers and Nanomaterials of the University of Alicante (Nanobiopol-AU).
The objective of the project, which is funded by the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI), is to develop a new system of biodegradable packaging and from renewable sources that also lengthens the useful life of the food by 15%, thanks to a label with a barrier function to oxygen, which prevents oxidation and by incorporating natural antioxidants extracted from the avocado itself, which allows reducing the use of synthetic preservatives.
To achieve this, the starch of the avocado seed will be extracted and purified in order to obtain a film with which they will be manufactured multilayer IML labels, which will act as a barrier to oxygen and prevent the oxidation of the food. In addition, active components will be obtained from the residues of the skin and pulp with high antioxidant capacity, which will be incorporated into a bioplastic (PLA) with which the container will be manufactured by the injection process and which, when in contact with food, will extend its life by 15%.
It is an alternative to the use of synthetic additives that, in addition, provides a new, high-value-added use of agri-food waste, to obtain biodegradable packaging from renewable sources.
