Long shelf life and sustainability: Knowledge transfer from research to industry

The food and packaging industries have to find a balance between the sustainability and shelf life of products. In addition, they face challenges such as economic profitability and strict statutory regulations. Their close cooperation with research institutions is helping to develop new technologies and find future-proof, legally compliant solutions.

The abbreviation WFBR stands for Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, a research institute of Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. “Knowledge transfer is at the heart of our work. At WFBR, the most important thing is to share scientific findings, technological progress and practical solutions with society, government organisations and industrial partners”, explains Eelke Westra, programme manager at WFBR. “This partnership supports all the parties involved in implementing innovative practices and technologies along the entire food supply chain to improve their processes and sustainability.”

In the search for sustainable packaging that reduces food waste, each sector needs clever solutions to overcome obstacles specific to its industry.

In the case of milk and dairy products, a combination of overproduction and short shelf life leads to high losses in retail and with consumers. Chemical-based indicators or pH-sensitive natural pigments demonstrate when products are going bad by changing colour and can help consumers to make decisions based on more than just the expiry date.

Microbial spoilage caused by bacteria and oxidation impair the shelf life of prepared meat products. Today, bioactive compounds from plant extracts can be used as a solution to inhibit bacterial growth. Intelligent packaging offers the option of monitoring a product’s temperature history, indicating through colour changes whether the cold chain has been interrupted and whether this can lead to spoilage. Sensors or a supply chain optimisation via AI can analyse demand to better control product volume and tailor stock levels precisely to shops or warehouses.

45 percent of the worldwide annual fruit and vegetable harvest is lost due to inadequate packaging. The production of ethylene in ripening fruit accelerates the loss of quality, especially during long transport routes, meaning that products with visible imperfections end up in the bin. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) regulates the oxygen and CO₂ content to slow down bacterial growth and quality loss. In this way, the packaging becomes an intelligent shield that slows down the ripening process and keeps fruit fresh for longer.

Highly perishable ingredients in ready-made meals or salads require special modified atmosphere packaging. Food service and catering companies need biodegradable takeaway packaging that is leak-proof and heat-insulated.

“Wageningen Food & Biobased Research understands our requirements and helps us to develop biobased, biodegradable plastic compounds”, explains Thijs Rodenburg of Rodenburg Biopolymere. One of the innovations that the company has developed together with WFBR is a screw cap for food packaging that consists mainly of starch and bio-succinic acid.

The Dutch company PaperFoam focuses on highly functional packaging. Together with WFBR, they developed a flexible foam material based on potato starch, natural fibres, water and additives that is used to package eggs, for example. “We work with a dedicated group of scientists from WFBR who have extensive knowledge of starch and biomaterials”, says Mark Geerts, CEO of PaperFoam.

One thing is certain – in the balancing act between increasing demands and rapid technological progress, companies depend on access to cutting-edge expertise.

For instance, one of the projects in Wageningen, Netherlands, has been given the name FLAVOUR-AI. This term describes the optimisation of plant-based products’ taste and smell using AI-controlled fermentation. In plant-based foods, chemical compounds such as aldehydes and ketones often cause undesirable off-flavours due to microbial conversion during fermentation. The AI tool developed by WFBR analyses and optimises combinations of substrates, microbes and enzymes to speed up and simplify the process to achieve the desired result.

What potential do robots offer for harvesting tomatoes or peppers, for example? WFBR’s research focus on post-harvest technology and robotics seeks to answer just this question, for example by developing mobile laboratory facilities. From the outside, these look like refrigerated containers, but there is a cutting-edge research facility with measuring and control equipment inside. Using these facilities, manufacturers can quickly estimate the quality of products on site and coordinate the most effective storage conditions. This often ensures a longer shelf life on the market and leads to higher sales due to satisfied customers.

The success rate shows that investing in innovation pays off. “Our partnership with eight major Dutch supermarket chains has contributed to a 17.4 percent reduction of food waste compared to 2018”, Westra reports. “This significant reduction was achieved by optimising inventory management, improving packaging and implementing better supply chain practices.”

However, simply knowing what the problem is does not necessarily mean that one can precisely define the field of research needed to find the desired solution. “One of our biggest challenges is helping our partners to focus and develop the knowledge that is applicable for their specific situation”, says the WFBR specialist.

Researchers in Wageningen have set themselves the task of closing the gap between academic knowledge and its practical application. Tailored solutions, a broad-based team of experts and cutting-edge facilities turn research concepts into strategies that can be implemented in the real world. The benefits for clients are improved product quality, reduced waste and more sustainability.

About the SAVE FOOD Initiative

The SAVE FOOD Initiative supports innovative projects which enable a sustainable way of treating food the world over. The SAVE FOOD Initiative was founded in 2011 by Messe Düsseldorf and interpack and has since cooperated with, for example, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN Environment programme. The initiative stands for supporting the UN goals for sustainable development (SDGs), especially the goal to reduce the worldwide waste of food (SDG 12.3). The initiative aims for the use of innovative processing and packaging technologies to secure a sustainable food supply while at the same time using resources efficiently.