Replace the Conventional plastic and polystyrene packaging using Macaúbaa palm that has great production potential and a vast distribution. We are in Brazil and here a genius of food engineering has put in the head to develop two types of innovative packaging starting from the Macaúba pulp and pulp (Aculerate acrocomia).
She is Carmen Guedes, student of the Master in Food Engineering at the MARINGá State University, and what she did was use the fiber of the Macaúba fruit, creating a package to replace the polystyrene trays, often used to keep and transport the foods.
Since Macaúba is used for reforestation, we can allocate its fruits to the industry, replacing disposable plastic, which is not ecological, explains Guedes, who has practically developed a fruit pulp with the fruit pulp biodegradable substitute of disposable plastic bags.
Another strong point is the concept of “active packaging“Adopted by the researcher. These packs interact with food, delaying the oxidation reactions that cause their deterioration.
It also acts as antioxidant, preventing food from being degraded by light and other factors that accelerate oxidation, explains Carmen Guedes.
Macaúba instead of plastic
Carmen Guedes is developing two types of innovative packaging for the precision using the fruit and the pulp of the Macaúba palm.
The first, made using the fiber of the Macauba fruit, was used to create packaging to replace the polystyrene trays. The second, made with the fruit pulp, is destined to replace the disposable plastic bags.
One of the great advantages of the packaging developed is its positive environmental impact: once disposed of, it turns into fertilizer for plants, dispersing the environment without leaving residues.
For now, the study is being developed at the New Product Development Laboratory, connected to Peg and the Department of Food Engineering (DA), the main EM Campus.
