Leprino Foods and Fooditive Group Sign Exclusive Agreement to Commercialize Non-Animal Casein Worldwide

Alternative inks and coatings aim to increase recyclability and aid sustainability goals

Extreme heat is destroying corn crops around the world. US exporters could see a boost.

Good Start Packaging Expands Own Line of Compostable Takeout Containers

Wild yeasts from Patagonia could yield new flavors of lagers: Genetic mutations enhance alcohol production

From Old Tires To New Car Parts: Neste, Borealis And Covestro Aim At Closing The Loop For Automotive Industry

Mondi takes another slice of sustainable packaging by teaming up with Scan Sverige

Duni Group takes action to reduce PFAS in food packaging

Industry News

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  India bans single-use plastic to combat pollution

  New DelhiIndia on Friday imposed a ban on single-use plastics on items ranging from straws to cigarette packets to combat worsening pollution in a country whose streets are strewn with waste.   Announcing the ban, the government dismissed the demands of food, beverage and consumer goods companies to hold off the restriction to avoid disruptions.   Plastic waste has become a significant source of pollution in India, the world's second most populous country.   Rapid economic growth has fueled demand for goods that come with single-use plastic products, such as straws and disposable cutlery.   But India, which uses about 14 million tons of plastic annually, lacks an organized system for managing plastic waste, leading to widespread littering.   Streets across towns are littered with used plastic goods that eventually choke drains, rivers and oceans and also kill animals.   India's ban on single-use plastic items includes straws, cutlery, ear buds, packaging films, plastic sticks for balloons, candy and ice-cream, and cigarette packets, among other products, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government said in a statement.   PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, India's Parle Agro, Dabur and Amul had lobbied for straws to be exempted from the ban.   In a relief to consumers, the government has for now exempted plastic bags but it has asked manufacturers and importers to raise the thickness to promote reuse.   Other than the food and beverage and consumer goods companies, plastic manufacturers have also complained about the ban that they say did not give them adequate time to prepare for the restriction.   Some experts believe that enforcing the ban might be difficult. The government has decided to set up control rooms to check any illegal use, sale and distribution of single-use plastic products.   According to the United Nations, plastic waste is at epidemic proportions in the world's oceans, with an estimated 100 million tons dumped there. Scientists have found large amounts of micro plastic in the intestines of deep-dwelling ocean mammals like whales.

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  French plastic packaging ban for fruit and veg begins

  A law banning plastic packaging for large numbers of fruits and vegetables comes into force in France on New Year’s Day, to end what the government has called the “aberration” of overwrapped carrots, apples and bananas, as environmental campaigners and exasperated shoppers urge other countries to do the same.   Emmanuel Macron has called the ban on plastic packaging of fresh produce “a real revolution” and said France was taking the lead globally with its law to gradually phase out all single-use plastics by 2040.     Spain will introduce a ban on plastic packaging of fruit and vegetables from 2023. For years, international campaigners have said unnecessary plastic packaging is causing environmental damage and pollution at sea.     From New Year’s Day, France will ban supermarkets and other shops from selling cucumbers wrapped in plastic, and peppers, courgettes, aubergines and leeks in plastic packaging. A total of 30 types of fruit and vegetables will be banned from having any plastic wrapping, including bananas, pears, lemons, oranges and kiwis.     Packs over 1.5kg will be exempt, as will chopped or processed fruit. Some varieties, including cherry tomatoes or soft fruits such as raspberries and blueberries, will be given longer for producers to find alternatives to plastic, but plastic packaging will be gradually phased out for all whole fruits and vegetables by 2026.     With an estimated 37% of fruit and vegetables sold wrapped in plastic packaging in France in 2021, the government believes the ban will cut more than 1bn items of single-use plastic packaging a year. The environment ministry said there must be curbs on the “outrageous amount of single-use plastic in our daily lives”.     Fruit and vegetables wrapped in layers of plastic have exasperated consumers not only in France but neighbouring countries. Nearly three-quarters of British people have experienced “anxiety, frustration or hopelessness” at the amount of plastic that comes with their shopping and 59% think supermarkets and brands are not doing enough to offer refillable, reusable or packaging-free products, according to a poll commissioned by Friends of the Earth and City to Sea in June.     An Ifop poll for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) France in 2019 found that 85% of people were in favour of banning single-use plastic products and packaging. More than 2 million people have signed a WWF petition calling on world governments to stop the plastics pollution crisis. In angry posts on social media, shoppers have complained of what they deemed absurd wrapping such as coconuts in several layers of plastic or single bananas in individual plastic bags.     Moïra Tourneur, an advocacy manager at the NGO Zero Waste France, said the French law was a “good and appropriate” move, although she questioned what she called the “surprising” list of exempt fruit and vegetables given a longer transition time of at least another year before going plastic-free. These include brussels sprouts, spring onions, green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, peaches and apricots, some of which are already sold loose in many shops. Tourneur said: “The ban is fair and fitting … Giving more time for certain fruit and vegetables is a bit of a shame. There is a climate emergency. People are conscious of the need to act urgently on this issue.”     WWF France, which has campaigned on the impact of plastics on biodiversity and marine life in the Mediterranean and across oceans, said it was important to welcome the law as “a positive step in the right direction”, while reminding governments there was more work to be done to end plastics pollution, including on microplastics.     Pierre Cannet, its director of advocacy and campaigns, said the law sent a positive message and “puts plastics at the heart of the national debate”. He added: “We need to stay humble and vigilant by saying there is still a lot to do. We’re still very far from an economy without plastic, and from all the steps needed to eradicate plastics pollution.”     Camilla Zerr, a plastics campaigner at Friends of the Earth for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said: “I think it’s a very good approach and I would hugely urge the UK to be doing the same and not to lag behind.”     She said that in the UK fruit such as bananas or apples wrapped in plastic packages were sometimes cheaper than those sold loose, which was “very problematic”.     Zerr added: “It is interesting to note that in the UK the main brands sell fruit and vegetables wrapped, but at corner stores you can find a lot of loose fruit and vegetables on sale, which proves it is possible to go without plastic.”  

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  Polypropylene Curbside Recycling to Improve for Millions of Americans with Seven New Grants Awarded

  FALLS CHURCH, Va. — FALLS CHURCH, Va. (April 6, 2022)  – The Recycling Partnership today announced its fourth round of grant funding through its Polypropylene Recycling Coalition (“the Coalition”), issuing nearly $1.6 million in catalytic grants to advance polypropylene recycling in the U.S. These funds will improve curbside polypropylene recycling access for approximately 6.9% of U.S. households when combined with prior grants. Launched in July 2020, the Coalition is a cross-industry effort supported by steering committee members Keurig Dr Pepper, Braskem, NextGen Consortium, and the Walmart Foundation, along with other members of the polypropylene value chain.   Through this latest round of grant funding, the Coalition will provide an additional seven grants to Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) across the U.S. – a total of 19 in just over a year – to boost sortation of polypropylene and support recycling education efforts. These investments will increase the recovery of polypropylene by an estimated 22 million pounds annually for established end markets such as consumer packaging and automotive parts. Polypropylene, sometimes referred to as No. 5 plastic, is an important packaging material increasingly used for various food and non-food products; it is estimated to be the third most prominent plastic in the residential recycling stream and is in strong demand as a recycled material.   "The impact the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition has made in just over a year to improve recycling for approximately 7.2 million households in America is an incredible effort in driving rapid and measurable change. This outcome highlights the power of collaboration, especially when combined with the strategic expertise of the Partnership team," said Sarah Dearman, Vice President of Circular Ventures at The Recycling Partnership. "This is the type of meaningful investment all materials need to improve their packaging circularity. We continue to encourage all companies that use polypropylene to become part of the solution to ensure greater and better capture of this valuable recyclable material."   The Coalition awards grants to MRF candidates that face significant challenges in their ability to effectively sort and recycle polypropylene. With this strategic expansion, polypropylene will now be accepted curbside in more communities and residents educated as to what is and isn't accepted in their recycling programs, resulting in more material captured and made into new products. These endeavors further strengthen polypropylene's position as a valuable recycled material and accelerate the shift to a circular economy.   The newest grantees include: Napa Recycling in Napa, Calif. Cedar Ave Recycling and Transfer Station in Fresno, Calif. SOCRRA in Troy, Mich. Republic Services in Oberlin, Ohio Baltimore County in Md. Recycle Ann Arbor in Ann Arbor, Mich. City of Phoenix, Ariz. (incremental funding provided by Keurig Dr Pepper) The combined geographic reach of the first four rounds of grantees includes MRFs across the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western regions of the U.S. The widespread interest and commitment from MRFs across the U.S. to growing the collection and sortation of recyclable polypropylene clearly demonstrates the market strength for this material nationwide.   The Coalition received a strong response to the first four rounds of requests for proposals and continues to accept grant applications to further its efforts to advance polypropylene recycling and reduce plastic waste. The next grant proposal request is due May 31, 2022. MRFs interested in sorting polypropylene are encouraged to apply. The mission-driven work of the Coalition is supported by contributions from organizations representing all segments of the material's value chain.   In addition to the aforementioned steering committee members, other members of the Coalition include Campbell Soup Company, EFS-plastics, The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, KW Plastics, LyondellBasell, Merlin Plastics, Milliken & Company, Nestlé, PolyQuest, Procter & Gamble, St. Joseph Plastics, and Winpak. The Polypropylene Recycling Coalition is advised by industry leaders including: Association of Plastic Recyclers, Closed Loop Partners, Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, Sustainable Packaging Coalition, and World Wildlife Fund. The Coalition is part of The Recycling Partnership’s Pathway to Circularity, an initiative creating scalable solutions to packaging and system challenges to accelerate the shift to a circular economy that uses fewer finite resources.   To learn more about the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, its members, and how to get involved in supporting its goals, visit recyclingpartnership.org/polypropylene-coalition. For MRFs interested in applying for a grant, the application is available on our website.      

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  ISHIDA COMMITS TO CARBON NEUTRAL EXHIBITION STANDS

  Packing line specialist Ishida Europe has committed to a partnership that will allow it to use carbon neutral exhibition stands, in a drive to reduce the carbon footprint of its trade show activity. The company is working with German live communication specialist "mac. brand spaces" in the design and building of stands that focus on key sustainability criteria such as reduce, reuse and recycle.   For each trade show, a carbon footprint will be calculated. Afterwards, the amount of carbon dioxide created by the stand will be neutralised through compensation projects. "mac. brand spaces" works only with reforestation projects certified under the Golden Standard for the Global Goals.   Ishida's forthcoming participation at IFFA and VIV Europe will the company's first stands designed to these principles.   "Exhibitions are a vital part of the global packaging and food markets, and we know our customers value the opportunity to assess our equipment and discuss their specific requirements will our experts face-to-face – especially after the two years of the pandemic," comments Steve Jones, Ishida Europe's Marketing Director.   "Nevertheless, we realise that such activities also have environmental consequences and we therefore wanted to play an active role in minimising the impact of our participation as part of our wider sustainability commitments."   For each stand, the mac. design team will consider the need for every component in order to reduce the use of new materials, as well as seeking to replace items with sustainable alternatives wherever possible. Components are also now designed to be reused and retained for future events, while used elements are sent for recycling.   Examples for Ishida stands include multiple-use two-piece ceiling signs, fabric to replace printed panels for the backwalls, recyclable floor tiles and the reuse of decorative elements.   Where Ishida shares a stand with a third party and cannot validate its full carbon impact at an exhibition, reductions in carbon footprint will be made to achieve as close to carbon neutral as possible, by focusing on opportunities to reduce, replace, reuse or recycle materials.     "This new improved approach, founded on sustainability, will reduce the carbon footprint of our exhibition attendance whilst continuing to evolve the established Ishida identity, it's a clear win win" said Steve Jones.     Sustainability continues to be a critical criterion in the design of Ishida equipment. The company's most recent multihead weigher range offers a power consumption reduction of approximately 20% over previous generations, while its X-ray inspection systems have a built-in feature that puts the machines into stand-by mode following spells of inactivity. The latest Ishida tray sealers have been designed to reliably handle new sustainable pack formats, and the company's Inspira VFFS technology for snacks bagmakers helps to eliminate packaging waste by ensuring consistent machine set-up.     Ishida's commitment to sustainability is also reflected in its recent accreditation with ISO 14001.  As explained by David Cleaver, Ishida's Environmental, Health & Safety, Facilities Manager, "ISO 14000 is a range of standards related to environmental management that exists to help organisations minimise how their operations negatively affect the environment, comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other environmentally tailored requirements. Ishida was recently awarded the 14001 standard and is committed to maintain the ISO 14001 accreditation via internal and external audits."      

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  V-Shapes Sachets for Innovative Single-Dose Packaging

  Next generation solution for single-use packaging and sampling a new growth opportunity for the company.   V-Shapes, an innovative supplier of vertically integrated products and services for convenient, hygienic and sustainable single-dose packaging, today reported that visett, a leading provider of branded and white label cosmetics and body care products, has added V-Shapes sachets to its packaging mix. The company currently has a V-Shapes PRIME single-lane fill and seal packaging/converting machine for on-demand production of unique single-dose sachets that can be opened with a single gesture using one hand, as well as a Trojan Label T2-C printer. The company is using a combination of printing on demand and pre-printed flexo substrates to meet the widest possible range of customer needs. visett, located in Germany and in business for two decades, offers its products via white label, B2B and B2C. B2B business for the company, which has nine employees, has grown in 50 countries over the last decade.   "We have historically offered a whole range of packaging for our products, including bottles and tubes," said Michel Raad, Owner and Managing Director of visett, "We had never offered sachets before because many of our competitors did. But as an innovative company, when we learned about V-Shapes, we saw it as the next-generation solution, a differentiator for us, and we didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it."   The V-Shapes PRIME has been so successful for visett that the company is currently in the process of seeking a larger facility in order to add two or three V-Shapes ALPHA six-lane packaging machines. Since based on volume, some substrate is preprinted with flexography, the company will likely configure one of its machines as an AlphaFlex with in-line printing and use pre-printed flexo rolls for the others. "In this way,"  Raad said, "we will have the ability to produce relatively large quantities with on-demand printing, but for the largest quantities, we can still leverage our flexo fleet as well."   Currently, sachets comprise less than 10% of visett's overall volume, but that share is expected to grow dramatically once the ALPHA units are installed. For visett, sachets represent an add-on offering, building on its overall growth rather than replacing any current production.   "As we have introduced these innovative sachets to the market,"  Raad added, "we have found a number of unexpected uses. For example, for sampling, we don't need to ship large containers anymore, which reduces our sampling costs significantly. In addition, customers who might previously have purchased a full-sized container of a product now are frequently asking for full sets of 10 to 20 sachets in addition to the full-size container for more convenient use. For example, they might take sachets with them when they travel and prefer not to carry the full-sized container with them, or for handing out to their customers as samples to encourage those customers to purchase the full-sized containers. Sometimes customers find the single-unit sachets more convenient overall. A good example is our cream make-up removal. Some customers would prefer to purchase 10 or 20 single-use sachets rather than a pot of the product."   The other opportunity is in restaurants and at events, Raad points out. "The Health Department has told us that as we come out of the pandemic, most certainly, large multi-use containers on tables in restaurants and bars, as well as at events, will be forbidden. So the demand for single-use sachets will continue to grow. And the V-Shapes sachets are so much easier, cleaner and more hygienic to open and dispense than traditional single-serve packages."   Raad has also been extremely pleased with the support he has received from V-Shapes, noting, "It's been a very good relationship, they are easy to work with and very supportive. Their response time is also very fast. I have two phone numbers to use with WhatsApp … if the first one doesn't answer right away, the second one usually does, which means I literally have 24/7 service." He also notes that, like his own company, V-Shapes is very proactive. He says, "At visett, once we have a good product range, we start selling it. But in the background, we are also developing new products and upgrading existing ones. V-Shapes has that same philosophy, and they are very proactive in communicating to us about upgrades or new developments. For example, they have already notified us we should expect to have another equipment upgrade soon, and we are also looking forward to implementing substrates made from recycled feedstocks. V-Shapes stays on top of all of that for us to make sure we are delivering the best product possible to our customers."  

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  Print beyond full color with Xeikon’s metallic toners

  Lier, Belgium, 21 April 2022 – Xeikon is introducing gold and silver metallic toners for the Cheetah 2.0 Series, the most advanced digital label presses in the market, to unlock value-add potential for brands and a competitive edge for printers and converters. This new digital foiling evolution is based on Xeikon’s innovation strategy and its firm focus on developing high-quality, application-tuned solutions that are also more sustainable and cost-effective.   The new gold and silver are part of Xeikon's Creative Toner series, which has been designed to enhance packaging with special colors. Launched a few years ago, the first Creative Colors were Palladium Silver and Matt Silver. Today, Xeikon is expanding this toner family with new Metallic Gold and Metallic Silver as digital alternatives to flexo-printed gold or silver that measure 6–8 on the Flop Index (a measure of the reflectance of a metallic color).   Gold and silver foiling is used in many market sectors for embellishing labels to give them a luxury look and eye-catching shelf appeal. Wine & spirits as well as health & beauty labels most typically require this specific embellishment step. Traditionally, the metallic look can be achieved by various methods: either by printing on metallic substrates, by printing with expensive metallic inks, or through a hot/cold foil stamping process. However, all of these techniques incur high setup costs due to the expensive materials and tooling. Foil stamping in particular is also time-consuming and will generate a high amount of waste in the process. By adding metallic colors digitally, these extra setup costs and costly waste are completely removed from the equation. In addition, new value-added label design options, such as personalization and versioning, become possible, giving brands and designers more freedom.   The new metallic colors slot into the fifth color station on the Xeikon Cheetah press, meaning the addition of metallics can take place during the main printing step. This also eliminates any secondary processes, as dry toner technology allows for hassle-free color swapping by simply replacing the toner dosing unit and the developer unit. Furthermore, there is no extensive cleaning process required; a quick brush with a vacuum cleaner between jobs is sufficient to be up and running again quickly.   As digital printing technology continues to evolve and the uptake by the label industry accelerates, ever more processes of label manufacturing become digital. More digitization at the finishing and converting stages are changing the entire print manufacturing process. Xeikon currently offers offline digital 2D, 3D, haptic varnishing and foiling on the Xeikon Fusion Embellishment Unit (FEU) and inline embellishment with full-color digital print as haptic white on the Xeikon Panther UV-IJ Series. Now, with the opportunity to use metallic toners directly on Xeikon Cheetah 2.0 presses, it becomes much easier to produce less complex labels, while dramatically reducing the turnaround time and simplifying the production process.   Filip Weymans, Xeikon's Vice President, Marketing, explains, "The development of application-tuned toners empowers printers to create their own digital solution, so they can establish a differentiation from other print providers and achieve a competitive edge. With Xeikon Metallic Gold and Silver, we continue our commitment to innovation with leading-edge technology that provides new opportunities for the label printing industry."   The new metallic toners will be commercially available from May 2022 for all Xeikon Cheetah 2.0 users. Visitors to Xeikon Café Europe 2022, on April 26–28, can experience live demonstrations of this new technology in the Global Innovation Center, where label printers and converters will learn how the latest Xeikon solutions can bring more value to their business. Visitors may also reserve individual sessions with Xeikon experts in advance to get in-depth insight and discuss their specific needs and opportunities.

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  Pharmactive Black Garlic Extract For Blood Pressure Management

  New Clinical Study finds ABG+® could help reduce cardiovascular risk factors     Madrid – In a new clinical study of individuals with moderately elevated cholesterol levels, Pharmactive Biotech Products, S.L.U.’s Aged Black Garlic (ABG+®) demonstrated new potential to balance blood pressure favorably. ABG+ is grown and cultivated locally, just two hours from Pharmactive’s facility, and gently processed using green technology. The process generates very low waste and significantly reduces the environmental impact.   Positive study results Published in the science journal Nutrients on January 18, 2022 , the randomized, double-blind, sustained, crossover-controlled intervention was conducted at the Sant Joan de Reus University Hospital in Barcelona. The study was led by Dr. Rosa Valls, author of more than 150 scientific papers and director of dozens of doctoral theses, and included 67 adult hypercholesterolemic volunteers with relatively high blood LDL levels. Each participant consumed 250mg ABG+ or a placebo over six weeks, with a three-week washout period before crossover. Subjects also were assigned a set diet that excluded lipo-lowering and anti-hypertensive foods. Results at six weeks demonstrated that ABG+ extract significantly reduced diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 5.85mm Hg on average compared to the placebo. The favorable reaction was particularly evident in men. “A reduction of just 5mm Hg of diastolic blood pressure lowers substantially the risk of stroke and other vascular events,” explains Alberto Espinel, Head of R&D for Pharmactive. High blood pressure affects nearly a third of adults worldwide and is the leading preventable risk factor for cardiovascular problems and all-cause mortality. The risks associated with common cardiovascular problems and stroke double with every 10mm Hg diastolic increase among people aged 40 to 89. This is the first clinical study conducted on ABG+, spurred by the company's encouraging results of two previous animal studies. Those trials demonstrated the ingredient’s cardioprotective role, as well as its ability to favorably balance blood lipids and enhance vascular function. “Aged black garlic has long been regarded as a culinary delicacy and integral component of the Asian diet, as well as a tool to maintain health,” asserts Espinel. “Empirical evidence is unfolding on the beneficial effects of black garlic on cardiovascular health. However, the magnitude of its effect depends on the amount and type of chemical compounds accumulated during the aging process and the ability to extract and preserve those compounds during processing.”   Green Production This savory ingredient is traditionally produced by aging whole bulbs of a selected Spanish species of fresh garlic at high humidity and temperatures for a few weeks. The garlic cloves turn dark and assume a soft, jellylike texture while losing the characteristic pungent garlic flavor as it turns sweet. During this process, the aged bulbs undergo substantial biochemical changes. The main organosulfur compounds in fresh garlic—alliin and allicin—are diminished. Yet a powerful bioactiv complex of soluble polyphenols, predominantly SAC, flavonoids, and melanoidins, is significantly increased. The synergetic action of these antioxidants is believed to be the primary source of the cardioprotective qualities of ABG+. Pharmactive’s ABG+ extract is standardized to 1.25mg S-allyl-L-cysteine (SAC) polyphenols. It is produced using the company’s proprietary ABG Cool-Tech® aging technique. Its rich concentration of SAC is confirmed by HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography). “SAC is virtually absent in fresh garlic, yet is synthesized and accumulated during aging under specific ambient conditions,” explains Espinel. “The presence and concentration of active substances critically depend on the production process. Most commercial black garlic products on the market are intended just for their culinary properties and barely contain SAC. In other cases, SAC is produced in garlic by long industrial processes which included soaking the bulbs in organic solvents and the results are simply labeled as ‘aged garlic’. This compromises the content of bioactives and is the reason the available studies of black garlic extracts show contradictory results and health capabilities. “This is some of the first evidence emerging on the blood pressure-balancing effect of an ABG+ extract, as a natural alternative, in a population where the strategies of intervention are based on diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle,” continues Espinel. “Importantly, its positive effects were achieved following a simple protocol of consuming one ABG+ extract tablet daily.” “Future clinical studies focusing on the blood pressure-managing capacity of our ABG+ extracts are in the pipeline,” adds Julia Diaz, Head of Marketing for Pharmactive. “Lifestyle choices, including dietary protocols such as the DASH or Mediterranean diets, are the first line of treatment for delaying and preventing increases in blood pressure. ABG+ offers an additional potent—and flavorful—nutritive tool for helping to manage blood pressure, especially in people who have difficulty abiding by dietary restrictions.” All ABG+ ingredients are water-soluble and can be used in multiple applications, including gummies, capsules, soft gels, syrups, and powders. ABG+ ingredients are ideal for functional foods and even gummies due to the absence of garlic’s characteristic odor and flavor.   About Pharmactive Pharmactive Biotech Products, S.L.U., is a Madrid-based pioneering biotechnology company that develops and manufactures differentiated natural ingredients supported by science, such as pure saffron extract and aged black garlic. The company’s mission is to make a daily positive and significant impact on people’s health and well-being through premium botanical ingredients backed by scientific studies and approved by ethics committees. It grows, cultivates, and produces farm-to-fork botanical ingredients with a minimal ecological footprint.

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  Attractive innovation: Magnets help on bottle recycling obstacle

  by Jared Paben   As part of the pilot project, Magnomer’s magnetizable inks were printed on shrink labels in collaboration with American Fuji Seal.        A startup that supplies an ink allowing shrink sleeve labels to be separated from PET flakes with a magnet has successfully completed early testing of the innovation. Ravish Majithia, founder and CEO of Watertown, Mass.-based Magnomer, told Plastics Recycling Update his company completed the first phase of a pilot project involving labels company American Fuji Seal, a major beverage brand, and independent testing lab Plastics Forming Enterprises (PFE). He could not disclose the name of the beverage brand.   Magnomer developed magnetizable inks that allow reclaimers to remove labels with magnets, which are already used to ensure ferrous metals don’t contaminate flakes or get into extruders. Magnomer’s inks can be produced in various colors or as a transparent ink, and are applied with standard label printing equipment, Majithia said.   Well-suited to existing label systems While the technology has the potential to enable separation of any types of material for recycling, Majithia said, this particular project tested the ink on shrink sleeve labels on PET bottles.   Most shrink sleeve films are made of PETG, which sinks with PET flakes in float-sink tanks. The PETG can cause flake clumping in dryers, and inks on the labels can bleed and stain the clear flakes.   Companies have developed label films to address those issues, including polyolefin films that float, crystallizable films that can be recycled along with the bottle, and de-seaming labels that separate in the whole bottle pre-wash.   Still, adoption of recycling-friendly labels has been slow in some cases. Majithia said the label industry is familiar with and has equipment set up for PETG, which has good shrink properties.   “There’s a host of reasons why the industry isn’t able to move away from PETG and move to some of those other label technologies,” he said.   In the pilot project, several thousand bottles with PETG shrink sleeve labels were produced by American Fuji Seal for the unnamed beverage brand using Magnomer’s ink.   “On the printing and integration side, we used all high-volume commercial equipment to showcase … this can be done at commercial grade without any issues,” Majithia said. “So the scalability has been proven.”   Then, PFE took the bottles through the recycling process, confirming the labels don’t harm the recycling process. Majithia said that the inks are bleed resistant, so they don’t affect the quality of the wash water.   Commercial-scale trials The first phase of the pilot project kicked off in late spring 2019 and concluded in November 2019. The recycling testing results were submitted to the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) in January 2020, he said.   Phase two of the project will involve trials with a commercial PET reclaimer, Majithia said. His company is currently negotiating with multiple reclaimers. The ultimate goal is for commercial PET reclaimers to provide testimonials to APR validating the technology, so that Magnomer can achieve APR’s Responsible Innovation Recognition, he said.   While Magnomer has gotten significant traction with using its inks in shrink sleeve labels on PET bottles, the company is also working to push its technology to other applications, including recycling HDPE bottles, sorting multilayer films, and recycling aluminum cans.   “The technology has applicability in various aspects,” he said.   In terms of HDPE bottles, Magnomer is working with an Australian label manufacturer to showcase the use of the ink in pressure-sensitive labels on HDPE bottles. The labels are often BOPP, which floats with HDPE in float-sink tanks. Using Magnomer’s ink, a magnet can separate HDPE flakes with stuck-on label from clean HDPE flakes. The technology negates the need for an abrasive wash to remove the labels, he said.   The technology could also allow a materials recovery facility (MRF) to separate laminated films, such as chips bags, with a magnet, which is cheaper and more dependable than other types of sorting equipment. That would help remove plastic contamination from paper bales, where films often end up today, he noted.   Additionally, Magnomer is exploring the use of its inks in aluminum can full-body shrink labels. Those labels, along with pressure-sensitive labels, are often used on smaller drink runs, as opposed to the lacquered cans used for huge drink runs.   In aluminum recycling plants, cans are shredded and sent under a magnet to remove ferrous contamination before the aluminum goes into a furnace. When shredded, shrink labels can get tangled together and gum up equipment, according to a report from The Recycling Partnership and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. In the kiln, they burn, raising the risk of fires and increases the creation of dross, which must be then sent out for additional processing.       origin link:https://resource-recycling.com/plastics/2020/02/18/attractive-innovation-magnets-help-on-bottle-recycling-obstacle/

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  New Study Proves That Innovative New Barrier Technology Solves The Problem Of Paper Recycling And Plastic Waste

  Soluble barrier promotes improved fibre separation critical to meeting circular economy No compromise on packaging functionality Hydropol proven to give real improvement when set against current regulations which allow the ‘recyclable’ label to be used if there is up to 15% unrecyclable material in the product   A new study commissioned by DS Smith and Aquapak shows that innovative, bio-digestible barrier coatings increase paper recycling rates and fibre yield, without compromising functionality, providing a viable new packaging alternative which is ready and available for use.A new study commissioned by DS Smith and Aquapak shows that innovative, bio-digestible barrier coatings increase paper recycling rates and fibre yield, without compromising functionality, providing a viable new packaging alternative which is ready and available for use. The independent research, ‘’Considerations for process, product and environmental fate testing of soluble bio-digestible barriers for paper and board packaging’, shows that new barrier technologies such as Hydropol provide an alternative to conventional plastic coatings used in paper packaging by promoting improved paper fibre separation and removing plastic waste from the recycling process, dramatically reducing the negative impact of paper packaging on the environment. DS Smith and Aquapak have been working together to find a solution to the issue of non-recyclable paper packaging, the use of which has increased as the industry has moved to replace conventional, hard to recycle and single use plastics. This has resulted in a wide va¬riety of fibre-based packaging formats combined with alternative functional barriers being introduced into the recovered paper recycling streams.   However, the materials currently being used to give paper the packaging functionality required for products such as food, drink and household goods, are not easily recyclable and mean that the paperboard is rejected because paper mills cannot process the paper and plastic combinations.  Instead, they are incinerated or go to landfill. To provide a solution to this problem, Aquapak has developed Hydropol, a com¬mercially available fully soluble, biodigestible barrier polymer, which can be adhesive- or extrusion coated onto paper and brings a number of benefits to fibre-based packaging, including oil and grease resistance together with a high gas barrier. It is non-toxic, marine safe, dissolves in water and subsequently biodegrades but still provides the much-needed functionality required for food, drink and household product packaging. The tests used in the study show that Hydropol is compatible with the processes used by high volume recycling mills and enables high fibre recovery, whilst reducing insoluble single-use plastics which are ejected and sent to landfill or waste to energy. Hydropol is also now proven to give real improvement on current regulations which allow the ‘recyclable’ label to be used if there is up to 15% unrecyclable material in the product. The results obtained in the study provide packaging designers with a clear route as to how to meet the Paperbased Packaging Recyclability Guideline set out by the European association representing the paper industry (Cepi), and which are there to:   Ensure that the paper fraction of the packaging breaks down into single fibres when pulped within a specified timeframe Give preference to polymers and other sealing agents that can be dealt with efficiently by the papermill process and effluent treatment systems and do not compromise the finished product, the production process or the environment whilst being recycled.  A previous study* shows that Hydropol has also been shown to increase some paper strength properties (tear, burst, puncture and tensile strength), allowing coated or laminated papers to be heat-sealed for ‘form, fill and seal’ fibre packaging applications.   Mark Lapping, Chief Executive Officer, Aquapak, comments: “The new research is hugely important for the packaging industry as it proves that they now have an alternative solution to existing plastics which is commercially available and, crucially, does not compromise on functionality or the end of life of the materials. It is now up to the industry to embrace the new technology available to them and create a new generation of packaging which meet the needs of the circular economy.” Nick Thompson, Materials Development Director, DS Smith Group R&D commented: “It’s clear that materials used in paper-based packaging have to be designed into the packaging with recycling in mind from the start.  This is why DS Smith developed circular design principles; to ensure repulpability, recyclability and no negative impact on the end of life of the materials used.  It seems like the Aquapak Hydropol product during recycling, has now been shown to help fibre separation and can itself be eliminated from the process with no negative impact and with no need for finding an outlet for unwanted waste material, such as difficult to recycle plastics.” For full results of the study ‘’Considerations for process, product and environmental fate testing of soluble bio-digestible barriers for paper and board packaging’, visit https://www.aquapakpolymers.com/request-white-paper-2/  HydropolTM - all the benefits of plastic packaging but without the problems with recycling Aquapak has developed a novel biodegradable, non-toxic and water-soluble polymer called HydropolTM which is three times stronger than alternatives and is designed to be used in existing thermo-processing equipment, giving it a wider range of applications.  HydropolTM enables up to 100% paper/board recovery whatever the percentage packaging makeup. The base plastic is currently used for dishwasher tablets, ingestible pill casings and soluble stitches.  HydropolTM ‘s resistance to low temperature solubility and high barrier to elements adds functionality, providing a wider range of uses.  It can be recycled, re-pulped, composted and is distinctively compatible with anaerobic digestion.  Furthermore, if unintentionally released into the natural environment, HydropolTM – which is non-toxic and marine safe - will dissolve and subsequently biodegrade, leaving no trace.    Blown film products commercially available and made from HydropolTM include garment bags, ESD bags, organic waste disposal bags and laundry bags for infection control.  Its solubility makes it easy to separate from other materials, simplifying the confusing recycling options that exist for different packaging.  Extrusion coatings and laminates for paper/board applications are at customer production trial stage, including a number of home delivery and ecommerce applications, packaging for dried pet food, snacks, cooked meat and convenience food applications. Other applications under development with customers and development partners include injection mouldings and injection moulded parts such as golf tees, non-woven fibre for applications such as wet wipes and cellulose combinations for thermoformed trays.  www.aquapakpolymers.com

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  Why physical print is important in a digital world

  By Erwin Busselot, Business Innovations & Solutions Director, Graphic Communications Group, Ricoh Europe Ricoh Europe, London, October 15, 2021 －Often in films, there are key scenes when we see a box discovered in an attic, dusted off, tentatively opened, and printed items carefully removed as important life moments are remembered.     Tickets to a sports event, programmes, photographs, records in their sleeves, books, etc… All printed reminders. We live in an increasingly digital world and so these physical, revisitable, and memorable touchpoints are becoming fewer and fewer. Increasingly things are being stored electronically from music, photos, and books to receipts, tickets, and invitations. In our daily lives, QR codes, e-tickets, and online libraries are replacing concert tickets, hardcopy images, and tangible album artwork. Printed items from past activities, events, achievements, celebrations, holidays, have the power to generate the happy spirit of the moment with feelings and memories. The Japanese call that natsukashii. Printed applications can also physically engage our basic senses. We see and smell them. We hear the sound of turning pages and opening envelopes. We explore them with touch, a sense that is so primal that it develops even before we are born, as this blog explores.   Other than choice of substrate, our physical experience of print can be enhanced by:   A matte or glossy feel added by the optional Matte Fuser on the Ricoh Pro C9200 Series of digital colour sheetfed presses or a coating from Duplo’s DuSense sensory coater that creates different thicknesses and achieves a variety of high impact effects. An attention grabbing luxurious look using the new Gold and Silver toners developed for the fifth colour station on theRicoh Pro™ C7200X digital colour sheetfed press. The metallics can transform catalogues, posters, flyers, direct mail, brochures, tickets, invitations, certificates, business, greetings, and Christmas cards, as well as packaging.   As a medium, physical print is also more memorable and trusted than digital storage and communication. It has a greater power to persuade as I discussed here.   It can help stimulate memories for those with dementia, too. That is why we created Printed Memories. The online tool allows relatives of sufferers to upload a familiar picture and add a message to a postcard. Sharing recognisable images is known as reminiscence therapy and it helps prompt brain activity to generate memories and connections to events, places, and people in their lives.   Do we ever pause to reflect on the incredible, latent power of print? Maybe not as often as we should. Natsukashii (positive memories that can be enjoyed time and again) is a concept we should all be aware of and celebrate; it offers us a word to represent one of print’s special capabilities. And describes something that is beyond the widening reach of electronically stored data.

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  Food packaging's materials: A food safety perspective

  M.S. AlamriAkram A.A. QasemAbdellatif A. MohamedShahzad HussainMohamed A. IbraheemGhalia ShamlanHesham A. AlqahAli S. Qasha Department of Food Science and Nutrition, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia   2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).   ⇑Corresponding author. E-mail address:[email protected](A.A.A. Qasem).Peer review under responsibility of King Saud University.     Abstract Food packaging serves purposes of food product safety and easy handling and transport by preventing chemical contamination and enhancing shelf life, which provides convenience for consumers. Various types of materials, including plastics, glass, metals, and papers and their composites, have been used for food packaging. However, owing to consumers’ increased health awareness, the significance of transferring harmful materials from packaging materials into foods is of greater concern. This review highlights the interactions of food with packaging materials and elaborates the mechanism, types, and contributing factors of migration of chemical substances from the packaging to foods. Also, various types of chemical migrants from different packaging materials with their possible impacts on food safety and human health are discussed. We conclude with a future outlook based on legislative considerations and ongoing technical contributions to optimization of food–package interactions.     1. Introduction Food packaging is used for diverse products, and food protection along the supply chain is largely based on the packaging (Brody et al., 2008). Without packaging, the handling of food products would be costly and inefficient (Robertson, 2006). Packaging also provides consumers initial product identity before deciding whether to purchase it. Also, consumer demand is changing and now includes such diverse packaging as active and intelligent packaging. These packaging systems interact and respond to the food-packaging environment, where they release some substances in or scavenge some from the packaging headspace and prolong the shelf life of food products (Robertson, 2006). Such innovative packaging is practiced in part to boost sales in a competitive environment. The packaging style and design may also enhance the product’s image and acceptability. Thus, the selection of packaging material is a consideration for consumers at the end of supply chain.   The major objective of packaging is to protect and preserve foods from possible physical, chemical, microbiological, or other hazards that ultimately can impact their quality and safety (Lee, 2010). In the prediction of food shelf life, the design of food packaging is the main consideration. When selecting packaging materials, many factors should be considered, including cost, quality of products, and their ability to maintain product freshness. A few common materials used in food packaging are plastics, paper, glass, and metals. Among these, a wide variety of plastics are used in rigid or flexible food packaging. Packaging materials now include laminates, which were developed by systematically integrating materials with different inherent properties to improve the functionality of the final material. Diverse food packaging and container types are shown in Table 1. In general, various chemical substances are found in foods during different phases of the supply chain; these include micronutrients, flavorings, antimicrobials, antioxidants, pesticides, and mycotoxins. Also, additives such as plasticizers, monomers, and oligomers found in the packaging materials could transfer to the foods upon contact during processing or packaging; this transfer of chemical compounds between the food and packaging is termed “migration” (Arvanitoyannis and Bosnea, 2004). This interactive phenomenon could result in alterations in the quality and also the safety of the food, and flavor may change owing to sorption of aroma and the transfer of undesirable components from the packaging material to the food. Understanding the migration mechanism is crucial for estimating food deterioration when using synthetic polymer-based packaging. However, direct interaction between food and packaging is not necessarily detrimental, as the same principles that because unwanted interactions may also result in desirable outcomes.     Table 1. Food packages and container types (Shaw, 2013).   Packaging type   Products type Application* Aseptic processing Egg (liquid/whole) and dairy Primary Bags Potato chips, apples, rice Primary Cans Soup Primary Paper (cartons, coated)  Eggs, milk/juices Primary Flexible packaging Bagged salad Primary Trays  Meat/fish pieces Primary Corrugated boxes Cereal carton boxes, frozen pizza Secondary Pallets Series of boxes on single pallet for carriage from producing plant to distribution station Tertiary Wrappers To wrap boxes for transport Tertiary *Primary packaging is main package used to hold food being processed; secondary packaging combines primary packages inside one box; tertiary packaging combines multiple secondary packages into one pack.     An example of beneficial migration is the oxygen-scavenging films that directly absorb oxygen, prevent microbial growth, and remove undesirable flavors by sorption (Hotchkiss, 1997). The mass transfer has been variously described as a physical interaction in which chemical transfer occurs at the food–packaging interface, a chemical interaction possibly resulting from the corrosive action of food components on metallic packaging, or microbiological food contamination caused by contact with contaminated packaging material (Lee et al., 2008).   Because the interaction between packaging material and food is influenced by many factors, a careful selection of packaging material is required to avoid negative effects on the quality, safety, and shelf stability of products. Product considerations should also include flavor sensitivity, color changes, and microbial activity. To design a suitable food-packaging system, type of polymer, method of preparation, and polymer content-to-food ratio are assessed to help define the interaction level of the food and the package. Also, processing methods as well as time and temperature during food storage should be considered (Hotchkiss, 1997).     1.1. Food interaction with packaging materials The interaction between food and its packaging is a crucial consideration, especially when the food comes in contact with the packaging material. It is during this contact that the intrusion of gases and volatiles, moisture, microorganisms and other low molecular weight compounds occurs (Arvanitoyannis and Bosnea, 2004). Such interaction between food and packaging materials is considered to be an interchange among food, packaging, and the environment and can impact food quality, safety, and/or package integrity. The main goal of food packaging is to protect food from external environmental factors, but food–packaging interactions also can compromise the quality and/or safety of foods.   However, the mass transfer of additives from packaging to the foods is undesirable and can alter the food’s flavor. Other undesired phenomena include removal of some desirable flavors from the food to the packaging and the uptake or release of moisture by permeation. An interesting possibility is that food quality and safety could be enhanced via such package-to-food interactions. Recently for instance, diverse studies have been used in designing packaging with active component materials that scavenge oxygen, as opposed to acting as a simple barrier to permeation, to improve the stability of high-fat foods (Maloba et al., 1996). Packaging designed to enhance desirable interactions with the contained food are called “active packaging” (Labuza and Breene, 1989). The food and packaging interaction could be categorized into three types: migration, permeation, and sorption. Examples are the migration of contaminants or plasticizers from recycled plastic polymers, which is considered as a regulatory and safety issue, or the migration of food additives, which could enhance food quality; the permeation of different gases, such as oxygen or carbon dioxide, that may be beneficial for modified atmosphere packaging yet undesirable for carbonated beverages; and the sorption of aroma and flavor, which could change the organoleptic properties of foods. The key theories that reinforce these interactions are based on the Fickian theory of diffusion. The theoretical basis of migration, absorption, and permeation, while the interactions between polymeric packaging and aroma and flavors (Crank, 1975, Johansson, 1996).     1.2. Migration from packaging material to food The migration phenomenon in packaged foods may happen in two directions simultaneously, i.e., from packaging material to the food product and vice versa (Mousavi et al., 1998). In the former case, the molecularly diffused low-molecular weight substances such as additives and oligomers from the packaging films are transferred into the foods (Helmroth et al., 2020). In the latter scenario, the mass transfer of food color, aroma, flavor, and nutrients happens from the food product to the packaging and results in a strong impact on the organoleptic properties of foods (Lee et al., 2008). The polymer packaging and food interface suggesting chemical migration is diagrammed in Fig. 1.   Fig. 1. Packaging polymer and solution interface with diffusion of additives and solvent (Ferrara et al., 2001).     Migration is the transfer of chemical compounds from or to the packaging film that occurs upon contact with the food. We have considered mostly the transfer of chemical substances from packaging to food. The chemical substances can potentially come from packaging substrates (such as paper, cardboard, or plastics), but other packaging components (such as printing inks, adhesives, or coatings) could also be sources of chemical migrants. Factors that determine the extent of migration include the packaging polymer, physicochemical properties of the migrant, the food type, duration and temperature of storage, and the package-to-food proportion (because smaller packaging has a larger surface-to-volume ratio). The maintenance of food quality and safety is considered critical during the packaging process, in storage, during transportation, and in retail locations (Hron et al., 2012). Therefore, various levels of safety standards are practiced from country level (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) to regional level (European Food Safety Authority). Some certification programs, such as the Global Food Safety Initiative, have been introduced but are not yet in widespread use. Authorities have issued legislative directives about migration of chemicals into food (Arvanitoyannis and Kotsanopoulos, 2014).   Health-related risks from the materials and chemicals used in food packaging should be carefully considered and thoroughly monitored. To prevent contact and potential migration of carcinogenic chemical compounds into foods, such carcinogens need to be eliminated (Claudio, 2012). Trace metals, one of the potential sources that can contaminate food products, may enter food chains from soil; agrochemicals; water used in food processing; food-processing equipment, containers, and utensils; and from packaging.   Hazards related to the presence of trace metals in food has raised widespread health concerns. Chronic and acute symptoms including dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite, sleeping disorders, and reduced conception rate may be indicative of heavy-metal toxicity. Trace metals have also been linked to cardiovascular ailments, suppressed growth, neurological and immune-system disorders, impaired fertility, increased spontaneous abortions, and higher death rates among infants (Yüzbaşi et al., 2003).     1.3. Mechanism of migration Substances migrating from food packaging to foods are highly complex. Diffusion phenomena are the main mechanism of migration where the macroscopic mass movement of molecules occur from higher to lower concentration gradients until an equilibrium is reached (Miltz et al., 1997, Simoneau, 2008). The rate of molecular diffusion is shown mathematically by Fick’s second law:    dCp=dt ¼ Dðd2Cp=dx2Þ;   where Cp: concentration (mg/g) of migrant in packaging material D: coefficient of diffusion (cm2/s) t(s): time of diffusion x: distance (cm) between food and packaging material (Silva et al., 2007).   Although the mathematical models are under continuous development, their reliability is appreciable for measuring contamination from packaging chemicals. A complete understanding of the factors influencing the migration is well suited to improving quality control by determining the variables with the greatest impact. Such improved evaluation of chemical migration from package to food would help limit and control food contamination and improve food safety.     1.4. Types of migration 1.4.1. Migration according to number of migrants There are two terms used for migration that should be not confused, overall migration and specific migration. Overall migration refers to the sum of the mass transfer of all releasing substances from a unit area of packaging material, and specific migration refers to the migration of a particular chemical species (Robertson, 2006). Both types of migration are considered important based on analytical objectives.     1.4.2. Migration related to foods nature Migration can be divided into three categories related to food systems–nonmigrating, volatile, and leaching system. In a nonmigrating system, very little mass transfer of pigments or some inorganic substances occurs as compared to the high molecular weight of packaging polymers. On the other hand, in a volatile migrating system, minor volatile aromatic compounds transfer to the package even without direct contact between the food and the packaging material, though contact could improve such migration. This type of migration is considered in dried products where less direct contact occurs between food and packaging material. Under such conditions the volatile substances migrate in three stages: diffusion or evaporation of migrant, desorption from a product, and adsorption onto the product. However, for a leaching type of migration system, the food must contact the packaging for the migrant transfer to occur. In this system, the mass transfer of a migrant is initiated with its diffusion from the package material, is followed by dissolution, and ends with dispersion into the food product. A common example of this system is the mass transfer of substance to fluid or semisolid foods from daily-use plastic packaging materials upon direct mutual contact (Lee et al., 2008).     1.4.3. Migration based on coefficient of diffusion The process of diffusion is the key determinant of the rate of diffusion, but diffusion estimation becomes challenging when the package is in contact with the food, which may alter the diffusion rate in the packaging material. This migration could be categorized into three clearly distinguishable categories. In the first category, the diffusion coefficient approaches zero, and thus there is a minimal migration potential. In the second category, the diffusion coefficient possesses a constant value and experiences no impact from the food component or storage time. However, in the last category, the diffusion of a substance remains insignificant unless the food is in direct contact with the packaging material (Aurela, 2001).     1.4.4. Contact migration In this category, as the name suggests, the migration of a substance happened from the packaging to the food only upon contact. For example, the transfer of additives from the cardboard pizza box to the pizza or transfer of monomers and plasticizers from a plastic tray, pouch, or wrapping to the foods (Karen et al., 2006).     1.4.5. Gas-phase migration In this type of migration, the substance permeates from the outer coating or printed layer of the package to the inner layer of the packaging material. The mass transfer of a particular substance happens through the medium of gas (Karen et al., 2006).     1.4.6. Penetration migration In penetration migration, a substance from the outer coated or printed layer of the packaging material migrates toward the inner layer or contacting side of the packaging material through the packaging material itself. The substance upon reaching to inner side of the package could migrate to the contained food either by contact or by gas-phase migration (Karen et al., 2006).     1.4.7. Set-off migration This type of migration is related to the mass transfer of inks, varnishes, and coatings from the outer printed side to the inner side of the packaging films by stacking (e.g., of printed cartons) or during reeling (e.g., winding printed wrappers into a reel). The set-off migration could be either visible or invisible depending on the specific substance. Substances clinging to the inner side by set-off migration could easily transfer either by gas-phase migration or by direct contact and could contaminate the packaged or wrapped food (Karen et al., 2006).     1.4.8. Condensation/distillation migration Although heat treatment of foods is used to improve their shelf stability, the transfer of substances may happen during processes of boiling or sterilization of pouched food or food in trays or cartons. Typically, the volatile components from the packaging or from distillation of moisture from steam released from aqueous foods migrates from package to food and vice versa (Karen et al., 2006).     1.5. Factors influencing migration phenomenon Given the complexity of migration phenomena, several factors could affect the process. The extent and the rate of migration is variously influenced. The primary factors include the following:     1.5.1. Nature of foods   The nature and composition of the food are critical factors in migration evaluation. For example, foods with surplus fats reportedly display high levels of migration (Triantafyllou et al., 2007). Various food simulants have already been used to study the influence of food nature on migration. Many studies have been conducted to investigate the mass transfer of substances between packaging and food by applying solubility parameters that helped test the extent of migration during food production in real time. In this regard, different food simulants are recommended by different authorities in Europe and the U.S. (Table 2).     Table 2. Listing of common food simulants used for migration testing (Franz, 2000, Rossi, 2000).   Solvents used for migration testing  Simulant category Distilled H2O  Simulant A Aqueous acetic acid (3% w/v)  Simulant B Aqueous ethanol (15% v/v)  Simulant C Sunflower oil or rectified olive oil  Simulant D     1.5.2. Type of contact   Numerous studies have indicated that migration levels are associated with the type of contact (direct or indirect) between the food and the packaging. Specifically, direct contact between food and the packaging enhances the mass-transfer rate, and with indirect contact, the gas medium between the food and the packaging results in relatively slower migration (Anderson and Castle, 2003).     1.5.3. Duration of contact   Mass transfer of specific substances of concern is largely dependent on the duration of contact of food with the package. Experimental data has shown that the mass transfer of a substance is proportional to the square root of the duration of contact between the food and packaging material (Arvanitoyannis and Bosnea, 2004). Other experimental evidence has shown that the log of the duration of equilibrium of a migrating substance is inversely correlated with temperature (Poças et al., 2011).     1.5.4. Temperature of contact   The rate and extent of migration are directly influenced by the temperature of food at storage. At higher temperatures, migration rates increase as the equilibrium is rapidly established between the packaging headspace and the food (Triantafyllou et al., 2005).     1.5.5. Nature of packaging material   The packaging material has a significant impact on the migration of a substance. Typically, the thickness and the plasticization of the packaging material affect the migration of specific additives. Thicker packaging slows migration, whereas thinner packaging allows greater migration (Nerin et al., 2007). However, the presence of recycled additives and ingredients did not present any discernible correlation with migration rates (Poças et al., 2011).     1.5.6. Migrant characteristics   The nature of a migrating substance (or potential migrant) have significant impact on the migration extent and rate. Mass transfer of a highly volatile substance happens at a greater pace. However, substances with relatively higher molecular weights exhibit lower migration rates (Johns et al., 2000). The microstructure of the migrating substance also impacts its migration level. More specifically, the configuration of the migrating molecules (e.g., spherical vs branched and with or without side chains) affects migration differently; for instance, branched molecules exhibit lower migration rates (Maloba et al., 1996, Triantafyllou et al., 2005).     1.5.7. Migrant concentration in packaging   Obviously, mass transfer of a migrating species occurs at a higher rate from the packaging to the food based on its concentration in the packaging material. It is also evident that a higher amount of migrants is found in the food matrix after a given time of storage under experimental conditions (Mariani et al., 1999).     1.6. Types of food packaging migrating compounds 1.6.1. From printing inks   The packaging, besides providing containment for the foods, also delivers information about the brand and composition and provides nutritional labelling for the foods. High-performance plastic packaging materials are very effective for shelf stability of the product until expiry. Generally, the single layer of material used in packaging the food products also has printed inks to disseminate the product description to consumers. A food stored in such packaging could increase the probability of transfer of printing dyes or inks to the food and thus may pose a quality and safety challenge. Printable ultraviolet (UV)-curable inks and varnishes are commonly used in packaging and normally comprise three components: a monomer, an initiator, and a pigment. For application, the ink is exposed to a UV source where the photoinitiator is converted into a free radical that ultimately reacts with the added monomers and starts polymerization (Castle et al., 1997, Robertson, 2006, Samonsek and Puype, 2013). During polymerization, the developed polymers bind the base polymeric packaging irreversibly and entrap the pigments resulting in a fast and good-quality printed surface. Some other printing inks are composed of pigmented resins and an organic carrier or polar solvent. This type of ink requires adequate drying if solvent removal is necessary, and print quality is highly dependent on numerous factors. In the case of UV-cured inks, the unbalanced formulation of the monomers and photoinitiators and incorrect functioning of the UV source may result in excessive residuals of monomers or photoinitiators. Thus, a potential migration of these substances into a food matrix would alter the organoleptic properties of food and compromise the safety of the food. Additionally, the interaction of the migrating species with the food would initiate taints and possibly result in loss of quality and nutritional value (Johns et al., 2000, Boon, 2008, Bradley et al., 2013).   Migration of benzophenone, a frequently used odorless photoinitiator, has been reported to generate alkyl benzoates, which contribute to undesirable flavors. Studies have reported the presence of printing inks in snacks and confectionary products well above the minimal detectable limits. Similarly, plasticizers, commonly used in packaging materials and in printing inks to provide functions such as flexibility, wrinkle resistance, and adhesion, are capable of contaminating foods by migrating from the packaging films. The presence of phthalates and other compounds such as tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate, sulphonamides, and N-ethyl-toluene and N-methyl-toluene has been detected in printing inks. However, the chance of mass transfer of printing ink is relatively lower than that of the plasticizers used in the fabrication of packaging materials during direct contact with foods (Rasff, 2005, Boon, 2008, Bradley et al., 2013).     1.6.2. From adhesives   Adhesives are the compounds that are used to seal the packaging and they can also migrate to the foods during packaging or storage. The adhesives commonly used in the packaging industry are hot-melt, cold-seal, pressure-sensitive polyurethanes and acrylics that are water- or solvent-based or solvent-free. The selection of adhesives must be based on the type of packaging and characteristics of the food product. For example, the use of a hot-melt adhesive is inappropriate for wrapping bars of milk chocolate. Also, special requirements apply in cases where aromatic volatiles are directly incorporated in cold seals to augment the food-product perception at the time of opening (Athenstädt et al., 2012, Sella et al., 2013).   From a previous survey by adhesive manufacturers, a listing of more than 360 substances was compiled to indicate potential chemical migrants from adhesives into foods (Hoppe et al., 2016). A subsequent study focused on the chemical composition and level of migration of polyurethane-based adhesives. The migrating residuals (e.g., polyether, polyols, and cyclic reaction products derived from polyester polyols) were identified at concentrations of 10–100 μgdm−2 (Sella et al., 2013, Hoppe et al., 2016).   The migrants from the inks of a printed packaging surface also can easily transfer to the layer of adhesives, especially when the packaging is stacked, and thus could ultimately migrate to the food matrix during the process of packaging. However, in the case of multilayer packaging systems such as laminates, the chances of potential contact migration of migrants are increased significantly. The multilayer laminates are complex packaging materials that are manufactured by layering of different polymeric with non-polymeric materials (e.g., metals) to achieve particular packaging characteristics. The existence of diverse components along with adhesives could greatly increase the likelihood of health problems while also making the identification and detection processes more difficult and complex (Athenstädt et al., 2012, Sella et al., 2013, Hoppe et al., 2016).     1.7. Plastic packaging 1.7.1. Plasticizers   Most plasticizers are the esters of phthalic (phthalates) and adipic acids. Dioctyl phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate and di-2-ethylhexyl adipate are systematically applied during the preparation of packaging material (Rahman and Brazel, 2004). The phthalates are cast off in sealing gaskets and cap-sealing resins for bottled food, polyvinylchloride (PVC) films, and some plastic packaging. Phthalates once used as plasticizers in polymeric packaging films are characterized by low molecular weight, thus facilitating the package-to-food migration. Numerous studies have reported plasticizers as potential migrants that could transfer to foods from the packaging (Pedersen et al., 2008).     1.7.2. Thermal stabilizers   Thermal stabilizers are commonly incorporated in plastic materials, including PVC and polystyrene (PS) (Lau and Wong, 2000). Generally, epoxidized seed and vegetable oils (e.g., soybean oil–esterified soybean oil) is commonly used in a wide range of food-contact plastic-polymer films as heat stabilizers, lubricants, and plasticizers (Lau and Wong, 2000) From studies of the impact of the degree of purity on toxicity, it was found that residual ethylene oxide is highly toxic (Food Standards, 2012).     1.7.3. Slip additives   Fatty acid-based amides are extensively used as additives in plastic packaging manufactured from polyolefins, PS, and PVC. Slip additives, which are directly incorporated into the plastic formulations, cause the emergence of surface bloom. These compounds are used to impart specific characteristics to the products. For example, they provide lubricating properties to the packaging materials to avoid sticking or conglomeration and also to reduce static charges (Cooper and Tice, 1995, Arvanitoyannis and Bosnea, 2004).     1.7.4. Light stabilizers   These chemicals are used in plastic packaging materials (polyolefins) to enhance endurance for long-term applications. Light stabilizers are used in many applications to improve long-term weathering properties of plastic polymers such as polyolefins. Polymeric hindered amines (e.g., Chimasorb 944 and Tunuvin 622) are widely used in polyolefins as light stabilizers (Poças and Hogg, 2007, Grob, 2002). These amines are detected through sophisticated analysis based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography with detectors of dual wavelengths (UV and visible). The procedure provides dependable results, offering a chance to develop functional tools that could help verify compliance with legal limits (Noguerol-Cal et al., 2010).     1.7.5. Antioxidants   When polymers are exposed to UV light and air, they could be degraded significantly owing to the oxidation reactions. Antioxidants can be applied to decrease the degree of oxidation and enhance stabilization of the polymers. Tinuvin P, Tinuvin 776 DF, Tinuvin 326, Tinuvin 234, Irganox168, Irganox 1010, Irganox 1330, and Irganox P-EPQ are the commonly used chemical antioxidants in plastic packaging materials (Nestmann et al., 2005). Also, vitamins such as A, C, and E and derivatives such as tocopherols, tocotrienols, and carotenoids can be added. Similarly, some metal ions (e.g., selenium) are crucial for the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and other phytochemicals, such as CoQ10, glutathione, and lipoic acid, are also considered good in controlling the oxidation of packaging materials. Additionally, mass transfer of synthetic antioxidants, such as butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, tertiary butylhydroquinone, and propyl gallate have been reported to transfer between food matrix and packaging materials (Papas, 2012)     1.7.6. Solvents   Various solvents are used in the preparation of solutions or in dispersions of the printing inks used in plastic packaging. The solvents are mainly low-molecular-weight organic compounds such as ethers, esters, alcohols, and ketones. These solvents are mostly evaporated from printed plastic packaging but may also disperse by distillation, penetration, or direct contact (Boon, 2008). However, some residue of the base solvent may remain entrapped in the packaging materials and later get transferred to the food upon direct contact or after release into the packaging headspace. The amount of solvent transferring to the food from packaging material is highly dependent on the concentration and distribution of the solvent (Robertson, 2006). Therefore, potential migration of residual solvent may pose a risk of changing the food organoleptic properties.     1.7.7. Monomers and oligomers   Many monomers and oligomeric building blocks connect to produce polymers by various chemical reactions. Styrene is among monomers that are widely applied to produce PS, which is used in packaging that is in direct contact with foods. PS is used mostly as containment for a range of dairy products (ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt), fruit juice and other drinks, poultry and other meat, bakery products, and fresh produce (Tawfik and Huyghebaert, 1998). Leibman (1975) reported that a styrene monomer may degrade into its respective oxide, which is characterized as a severe mutagenic and if metabolized in body can produce hippuric acid that could be excreted from the body in urine. Styrene exposure could result in organ toxicity and irritation of the skin, eyes, and lungs with simultaneous suppression of the activity of the central nervous system. Also, Tang et al. (2000) reported that the average identified level of styrene monomers in food packaging is 100–3000 ppm.     1.7.8. Isocyanates   Isocyanates are commonly used to produce polyurethanes and are used in some adhesives for the preparation of food packaging. Also, aromatic amines, especially primary amines, are a subcategory of this class of compounds, and Miltz et al. (1997) reported their migration into foods from materials such as rubber, epoxy polymers, aromatic polyurethanes, and azo dyes. The toxic effects of isocyanates on human health have been extensively reviewed in other studies (Lau and Wong, 2000). The maximum level of isocyanates residues must be < 1.0 mg kg−1 in the final packaging material. However, only 12 isocyanates are approved for use in food packaging.     1.7.9. Vinyl chloride   Under normal temperature and pressure conditions, vinyl chloride is a colorless gas. It is compressed into liquid under high pressure and has been used in the preparation of polyvinyl chloride-based packaging materials (Robertson, 2006). Vinyl chloride can leach from PVC bottles and food packaging and may modify the food organoleptic properties and also may result in toxicity. Because it is highly toxic, maximum allowed levels in food packaging have been in place since the 1970s (Castle et al., 1996). The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (2006), a U.S. government agency, reported that records show the daily dietary exposure to vinyl chloride was <0.0004 μg kg−1 in the United States and United Kingdom in the 1970s and early 1980s. Many organizations, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have established limitations regarding the maximum vinyl chloride content in food-packaging films and bottles.     1.7.10. Acrylonitrile   The monomer acrylonitrile (AC) is used extensively as starting material in the production of plastics, resins, elastomers, and synthetic rubbers (National Industrial Chemical Notification and Assessment Scheme, 2000). It is also found in diverse polymeric materials used in manufacturing food packaging. For example, terpolymer consists of three or more AC monomers in combination with styrene and butadiene. AC/butadiene/styrene resins can be used as food-contact materials. The relative amounts of the resins used in the polymers may vary depending on different specific characteristics necessary for different products. However, AC monomer is toxic; Lickly et al. (1991) examined and evaluated the association of its residues in polymers by using various food simulants.     1.7.11. Polyethylene terephthalate oligomer   Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) oligomers are used mainly in manufacturing of trays and bottles for packaging of various types of food (including fresh produce) and drink (including mineral water, juice, beer, carbonated beverages, and milk). It is a thermoplastic polyester produced by a condensation reaction (esterification) of ethylene glycol in the presence of terephthalic acid or its derivative as dimethyl terephthalate (Kim and Lee, 2012). PET is easy to mold for producing trays and dishes of various desired shapes, and due to its temperature resistance (∼220 °C), these containers can be used in heating or reheating of food. However, PET reportedly contains small amounts of low-molecular-weight oligomers (some dimers to pentamers). Additionally, the main volatile substance found in PET is acetaldehyde, which is of high significance owing to its effects on food odors, especially in cola-type beverages. Lau and Wong, 2000) detected these cyclic chemical substances in various beverages at levels of 0.06% and 1.0% depending on the type of PET (Nerín et al., 2013, Silano et al., 2008).     1.8. Metal packaging 1.8.1. Tin   Tin-based cans are used in containing foods and various carbonated and noncarbonated drinks. Tin traces transfer into the foods contained in tin cans with or without any lacquering. Foods with higher concentrations of tin (e.g., ∼500 mg kg−1) reportedly can cause severe gastrointestinal ailments (Omori et al., 1973, Benoy et al., 1997). According to clinical trials, Boogaard et al. (2003) found that the threshold for an acute effect from tin starts after consuming a dose >730 mg kg−1. A thin layer of tin can help protect corrosion of metal cans. Although usually no lacquering is done for tin, especially when oxygen scavenging is desired, a lacquer coating is otherwise preferable because an uncoated can may lead to various interactions between the tin and the food matrix (Oldring, 2007).     1.8.2. Lead   Despite its toxicity and although it is known to be a common contaminant in foods, lead is commonly used in metal food and beverage containers. Lead toxicity could damage the central nervous system and has negative impacts on various body organs in humans. Infants are especially prone to lead toxicity because of the greater retention of lead in their brains and bones. Even a subacute consumption of lead could result in mental retardation, convulsions, and encephalopathy in children (Skrzydlewska et al., 2003, Robertson, 2006).     1.8.3. Aluminum   Al is used in preparation of laminate or multilayer food packaging or directly design cups and trays. It is used mostly in alloy form with other metals (such as Cu, Zn, Si, Mn, Mg, and Fe) to design food packaging. Small concentrations of Al are found in various plants and animals (Taylor, 1964). Unlike so many other vital elements that take part in the metabolism of animals, Al is not essential for the functionality of enzymes or any other metabolic process. High intake and increasing levels of Al in tissues have been associated with many disorders (such as dialysis encephalopathy, osteodystrophy, and microcytic anemia). Other than the recommended-maximum-dose Al intake from food and beverages, Al also migrates from cooking utensils and from storage or packaging. Because pure Al cannot be used to produce packaging materials, alloys of Al with Fe, Ag, Cu, Mn, and Zn are used instead. Therefore, elements other than Al could be present in foods upon corrosion of the cans used to contain the food (Rodushkin and Magnusson, 2005, Robertson, 2006).     1.8.4. Chromium   Electrolytic Cr coating is widely used as a thin layer in tin-based cans to make them more stable against oxidative damage and to strengthen enamel adherence. Cr is characterized by relatively high toxicity and undesirable sensory properties. Also, in its hexavalent form (Cr(VI)), it could have a severe impact on living organisms owing to its having both carcinogenic and mutagenic properties (Skrzydlewska et al., 2003, Kim et al., 2008).     1.9. Paper packaging 1.9.1. Dioxins   These form a class comprising a large number of synthetic polychlorinated compounds that include but are not limited to polychlorinated dibenzofurans and dibenzo-dioxins. Dioxins are used in paper-based packaging for food applications. Dioxins are reported as highly toxic and mutagenic organic compounds. The isomer called 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin is the most toxic among all the dioxins (Ackermann et al., 2006).     1.9.2. Benzophenone   This organic compound is used in inks and lacquers as a photoinitiator and also is used as a wetting agent for dyes and pigments to improve their flowability. In general, 5%–10% of this compound is used once considered as photoinitiator in inks (Anderson and Castle, 2003). UV light is used to cure the printing inks for cardboard packaging thus online production process of finished packaging is relatively faster. However, because the benzophenones used in these inks may not get totally removed during this process, benzophenone could migrate to the inner sides of the cardboard components during stacking before forming the cardboard cartons or boxes. Also, the use of fiber recycled from cardboard may increase the probability of the presence and migration of benzophenones. The specific compound 4-methoxybenzophenone is also used but reportedly is carcinogenic and mutagenic (Muncke, 2009).     1.9.3. Nitrosamines   Nitrosamines are commonly found in foods and beverages (Robertson, 2006). These amines are considered potential carcinogens and genotoxic. Nitrosamines are formed endogenously in the human body by reaction of amines with salivary nitrates or nitrites (Tricker and Preussmann, 1991). Nitrosamines could also come from waxed cardboard and paper. These materials contain morpholine and N-nitrosomorpholine, which contaminate food after migration from a surface upon contact during storage and the processes involved in packaging.     1.9.4. Chlorophenols and chloroanisoles   Chlorophenols are organochlorides that have been industrially used for the production of biocides, fungicides, and herbicide intermediates (Kirwan et al., 2011). These compounds commonly transfer into food from packaging materials. Contamination of foods with these organochemicals results in the production of off-flavors and taints (Jelén, 2006).     1.10. Glass containment   Chemical glass is resistant to water or water-based solutions and organic substances. Acidic solvents have very limited impact on the silica component, although other ingredients of glass could be attacked by these solvents. Autoclaving of glass within various solvents resulting in the leaching of traces of alkali and silica has been thoroughly investigated. However, this has almost no impact on the organoleptic properties of the foods. Similarly, minimum contamination of foods is reported for cadmium and lead, as these metallic components are rarely present in glass containers designed for food packaging. Although the rate of glass recycling has greatly increased, the amount of chemical migration in glass containment is still very low (Shaw, 2013).     1.11. Additive derivatives and monomers   Other than the multiple above-mentioned types of possible food contamination, various derivatives of additives and monomers also could transfer to foods. In particular, direct contact between food and packaging material could result in migration of chemical substances and potentially contaminate the product. The environment also could contaminate the food if water and air quality are not properly monitored and thoroughly cleaned (Lau and Wong 2000).     1.12. Benzene and other volatiles   For diverse food-contact plastics, organic components such as benzene or alkyl-benzene are typically produced at higher temperatures. For example, benzene is known to migrate into food from PET-, PVC-, and PS-based food packaging. Owing to its low molecular weight, it can easily diffuse through the package and contaminate foods. Therefore, the detection of benzene levels in plastic-based food packaging is necessary given its potential carcinogenicity (Anderson and Castle, 2003, Arvanitoyannis and Bosnea, 2004).     1.13. Environmental contaminants   The surrounding environment could be a major source of food contamination if it is not hygienic. Numerous environmental contaminants, such as dust, microbes, insects, and naphthalene, can be transferred into foods and result in contamination. This may occur through damaged or absorbent packaging material with subsequent migration to the foods (Raloff, 2000). For example, concentration of naphthalene could rise significantly in the environment where naphthalene-based insect repellants are in use. Similarly, milk or milk-based drinks packaged in low-density polyethylene containers have shown increased concentration of naphthalene once stored in high-naphthalene environments. Also, during processing and supply cycles, the risks of packaging and hence food contamination may increase. Similarly, hydrogen peroxide, a widely applied sanitizer used in sterilizing polypropylene and polyethylene aseptic food packaging, could be a contaminant (Lau and Wong, 2000).     1.14. Other contaminants   Besides the already-mentioned contaminants, there are various possible components that could migrate and contaminate foods. For instance, PVC-based food packaging contains the contaminant dioxin. Similarly, benzene, diphenyl thiourea (a heat-stabilizing agent) (Griffith, 1989), processing-aids additives (Satyanarayana and Das 1990), and diverse volatiles may migrate into packaged foods. Contamination of foods by diphenyl thiourea and its derivatives (e.g., aniline, diphenylurea, isothiocyanatobenzene) reportedly has been found in packaging materials (Lawson et al., 1996, Careri et al., 2002, Arvanitoyannis and Bosnea, 2004).     1.15. Conclusion and future outlook   For a specific food product, a careful choice of packaging material should be made by considering the end-product components and all their possible interactions as well as the resultant impact on food quality and safety. For any food-packaging selection, the benchmark is compliance with valid legislation and regulations, which may demand measurement of global and specific migration to assess the safety of the packaging material. The potential for taints migration should be estimated by considering the following:   1.Is the packaging material optimized to reduce the chances of potential migration of available components? 2.The probability of migration of any potentially migrating component into the packaged food depends on the food composition, which determines the affinity of migrants toward the model food. For instance, the majority of migrating constituents that result in taints production includes hydrophobic elements, which pose serious challenges in packaging for high-fat foods. 3.The impact of the migrating compounds on the organoleptic properties of foods is affected by the flavor intensity of the foods. Thus, the extent of tolerated migration (within legislative limits) also should be according to the flavor characteristic of the foods.   Declaration of Competing Interest   The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.     Acknowledgement   The authors extend their appreciation to the Deputyship for Research & Innovation, “Ministry of Education “in Saudi Arabia for funding this research work through the project number IFKSURP-114.     References Ackermann, P.W., Herrmann, T., Stehr, C., Ball, M., 2006. Status of the PCDD and PCDF contamination of commercial milk caused by milk cartons. Chemosphere. 63, 670–675. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), 2006. Toxicological profile for Vinyl Chloride. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Atlanta, GA. Anderson, W.A.C., Castle, L., 2003. 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  Free Curcumin Goes to the Brain and Beyond in a New Study

  Highly bioavailable BCM-95® curcumin extract addresses Alzheimer’s disease beyond the brain. Kerala, India — A new study reveals Arjuna Natural Pvt, Ltd.’s CURCUGREEN® (BCM-95®) turmeric extract could potentially help lessen damage from Alzheimer’s disease on organs other than the brain. With the global population of seniors poised to double by 2050, concern about Alzheimer’s is something of high importance to a third of the world’s population, making its prevention and relief from its symptoms critical issues.   Alzheimer’s disease is the cause of around two-thirds of dementia cases, worldwide. It is marked by progressive deficit in memory and cognitive ability, leading to deterioration of mood, motivation, language, immunity, and behavior. The majority of the focus on Alzheimer’s disease is on what it does to the brain. But the progress of the disease is not confined to the central nervous system. Alzheimer’s disease also involves damage to the peripheral organs, including the spleen, liver, lungs, kidneys, and brain stem. These co-pathologies are what make Alzheimer’s ultimately fatal.   The new study, published in the June, 2021 issue of the science journal Antioxidants, built on ample previous studies demonstrating the powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-amyloid properties of curcumin, the most concentrated source being from the turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa). The study was conducted on male and female transgenic mice by Jayeeta Manna, PhD, Gary Dunbar, PhD, and Panchanan Maiti, PhD, at the Field Neurosciences Institute, Central Michigan University, US, and investigated how the highly bioavailable curcuminoid formulation, CURCUGREEN (BCM-95), can help prevent abnormalities in peripheral organs of sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease.   In the study, the subject mice orally received the equivalent of 100 mg/kg of CURCUGREEN (BCM-95) for two months. Cellular changes in the spleen, liver, kidney, and lungs were investigated for cell death, amyloid deposition, pTau levels (nerve fiber markers of Alzheimer’s), pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers, and overall cell death/survival markers.   Results showed that CURCUGREEN (BCM-95) reduced enlargement and degeneration of the spleen, inflammation in the kidney, lung damage, and damage to the liver, including enlargement of liver cells and inflammation of the central hepatic vein. The results also showed a reduction in cell death in all these areas. In the brain, CURCUGREEN (BCM-95) also decreased amyloid deposition, pTau, cell loss, and reductions in inflammatory markers. “We are encouraged by this suggestion that curcumin could help protect against secondary organ stress and cellular damage, and help against overall damage wrought by this undiscriminating disease,” says Benny Antony, PhD, Joint Managing Director for Arjuna and inventor of CURCUGREEN (BCM-95).   One of the primary advantages of CURCUGREEN’s (BCM-95) curcuminoid compounds is the unusually high bioavailability. Curcuminoid compounds typically have poor solubility in most body fluids, limiting their bioavailability. However, free curcumin levels achieved with the bioavailable formulation of curcuminoids and essential oil of turmeric in CURCUGREEN (BCM-95) proved to be about 200 to 300 times more prevalent in the blood, brain, liver and kidney than levels reported for natural curcumin in other studies, demonstrating unprecedented bioavailability.   “Cognitive health is emerging as one of the more serious health issues facing an aging population,” adds Antony. “But in the case of Alzheimer’s disease, the co-morbid damage to the rest of the body’s critical structures raises the stakes of prevention and mitigation quite literally to life or death status. At Arjuna, we believe that maintaining physical brain and body health naturally through safe and effective plant-based ingredients is a game-changer. Our highly bioavailable turmeric extract can be an important weapon in the campaign against this devastating, yet widely prevalent, disease.”   About Arjuna Natural Pvt, Ltd. For more than a quarter of a century Arjuna Natural (Arjuna Natural Pvt., Ltd.) has been India’s leading manufacturer of standardized spice and botanical extracts for food supplement industries dedicated to ecofriendly and sustainable practices. Established in 1992, the company has grown rapidly, with customers in 64 countries and has an advanced research facility that works in collaboration with international universities on phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, formulation, development, pre-clinical and toxicity studies. Arjuna Natural’s facilities comply with the highest world standards, are GMP-certified, and have ISO, NSF, Halal and Star-K kosher.

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  Amcor announces breakthrough healthcare lidding technology for combination products

  • Developed in collaboration with leading healthcare company • Ideal for combination healthcare products, such as devices with an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient • Technology leverages Amcor’s best-in-class innovation and R&D capabilities   Amcor contact lens lidding Zurich, Switzerland: Amcor, a global leader in developing and producing a diverse offering of responsible packaging solutions, today announced the launch of a proprietary healthcare lidding technology that will be utilized for combination products – those consisting of two or more regulated components (device, drug or biologic).   This latest innovation from Amcor is based on a patented inert film development and laminate design. It provides a lidding solution that can withstand heat sterilization, the process of preserving and sterilizing items, while preventing drug uptake into the packaging. The packaging solution is ideal for combination healthcare products, such as devices with an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) that forms the basis of a medicine. It ensures machinability, integrity after sterilization, as well as a convenient peel opening for patients. The features of the new product complement Amcor’s existing healthcare portfolio, which range from lidding for demanding sterilization environments to high barrier overwraps protecting eye droppers and medications for the eye.   Amcor collaborated with Johnson & Johnson Vision over the course of several years to develop the lidding technology for use with contact lenses. Each company contributed specific skills and perspective, notably Amcor’s expertise with film extrusion, lamination and conversion for healthcare, and J&J Vision’s expertise on ophthalmic device packaging requirements.   Peter Konieczny, Amcor’s Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are bringing together industry-leading innovation and close customer relationships to develop the packaging solutions of the future. With this next-generation healthcare lidding technology we are opening a world of possibilities for products using active pharma ingredients. We look forward to extending this differentiated lidding technology to additional combination products in the future.”   To find out more about Amcor’s innovative healthcare packaging solutions go to www.amcor.com/healthcare.   About Amcor Amcor is a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, home- and personal-care, and other products. Amcor works with leading companies around the world to protect their products and the people who rely on them, differentiate brands, and improve supply chains through a range of flexible and rigid packaging, specialty cartons, closures, and services. The company is focused on making packaging that is increasingly light-weighted, recyclable and reusable, and made using an increasing amount of recycled content. Around 47,000 Amcor people generate US$12.5 billion in sales from operations that span about 230 locations in 40-plus countries. NYSE: AMCR; ASX: AMC   www.amcor.com

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  Spouted Pouches: TOMRA and Gualapack join forces for a ground-breaking, full-scale recycling trial

  TOMRA and Gualapack work together to prove the recyclability of Gualapack’s first-of-a-kind monomaterial PP spouted pouch through all stages of treatment of a DKR rigid PP waste stream.    In a context of full-scale sorting and recycling infrastructure, Gualapack’s first-ever monomaterial polypropylene spouted pouch was proven recyclable. The results of extensive testing, carried out on several sites during the course of 2020, demonstrate that sustainability through innovation is possible.   Industry leaders TOMRA and Gualapack, both members of CEFLEX (the European platform for the Circular Economy of Flexible Packaging), joined forces to test how one of Gualapack’s innovative products, which combines monomaterial laminates and semi-rigid multi-layer components, could be automatically and effectively managed for recycling in the rigid PP (polypropylene) stream.   Gualapack is the world leader in pre-made spouted pouches and a global player in the flexible packaging industry, manufacturing laminates, caps and pouches for baby food, snacks, pharmaceutical products and a wide range of other applications. The company is fully committed to sustainability, which in the past few years has been its greatest driver for growth and innovation.   Michelle Marrone, Gualapack Sustainability Manager recalls, “It was 2018 when I first met Jürgen and TOMRA. At Gualapack, we were busy tackling the challenge of designing a monomaterial spouted pouch that had to resist hot-filling, pasteurization, and maintain its barrier properties 12 months on the shelf. But at the same time, I knew that to be monomaterial by design was not enough! It was equally important to prove our circularity by demonstrating that our pouch could be correctly identified as PP, sorted, processed and extruded on an industrial line.”   As a passionate and trusted innovation leader with 50 years of experience in circular waste management, TOMRA provides technology-led solutions and contributes proven expertise, established processes and market knowledge, which enable Circular Economy solutions through advanced collection and sorting systems.   “After development of the new pouches, and to determine whether these could be sorted with optical sorters, we added a significant amount of them to a combined separate source and mixed waste stream sorting plant for automated sorting, “explained Jürgen Priesters, SVP Business Development TOMRA Circular Economy. “The result was very good detection and accurate separation rate of all pouches. A subsequent washing and recycling trial showed that the Gualapack mono-material pouches could be easily recycled into standard products.”   As a first step, different percentages of Gualapack pouches were added to rigid PP waste, which was then processed through TOMRA’s AUTOSORT®, a sensor-based sorting machine that confirmed pouches are well identified as a PP material, with over 80% redirected to the rigid PP stream. Then, a waste PP bale with 5% additional pouches and a bale without any pouches were compared, in a back-to-back trial that took them through all the steps of a standard recycling process. First shredded into flakes and hot washed with water and sodium hydroxide at 85 °C (185 °F), then post-sorted through a second AUTOSORT® FLAKE machine to further improve the quality of the material, the two bales were then extruded on an industrial scale extruder and pelletized back to PP.   Results were surprisingly good, with ink and adhesives from the pouches not impacting on extrusion and affording high thermal stability without any odor or volatile issues. Furthermore, the pelletized materials were characterized by third party laboratories and declared comparable to PP copolymer grades suitable for injection molding.   This key takeaway demonstrates that the Gualapack monomaterial pouches are well tolerated within a German DKR rigid PP stream and that TOMRA sorting systems, in real-life scenarios, are suitable infrastructure to correctly identify and sort monomaterial laminates, even in the presence of semi-rigid multi-layer structures. Furthermore, this is a successful example of design for recyclable packaging according to the CEFLEX D4ACE (design for a circular economy) guidelines.   TOMRA TOMRA was founded on an innovation in 1972 that began with the design, manufacturing and sale of reverse vending machines (RVMs) for automated collection of used beverage containers. Today TOMRA provides technology-led solutions that enable a sustainable future with advanced collection and sorting systems that optimize resource recovery and minimize waste in the food, recycling and, mining industries. With the addition of a circular economy division in 2020, TOMRA is committed to playing a significant role in building and enabling a global circular economy framework.   TOMRA has more than ~100,000 installations in over 80 markets worldwide and had total revenues of ~ 9.3 billion NOK in 2019. The Group employs ~4,500 globally and is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: TOM). For further information about TOMRA, please see www.tomra.com   Gualapack S.p.A. Gualapack is the world leader in pre-made spouted pouches and a global player in the flexible packaging industry. With Pouch5®, the first high-barrier recyclable monomaterial pouch for pasteurized baby-food, fruit purees and dairy snacks on the market, Gualapack has pioneered a trend which will be the future of flexible packaging for a Circular Economy.

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  Aerogels as porous structures for food applications: Smart ingredients and novel packaging materials

  LaraManzoccoaKirsi S.MikkonenbcCarlos A.García-Gonzálezd   aDipartimento di Scienze AgroAlimentari, Ambientali e Animali, Università di Udine, Via Sondrio 2/A, Udine, I-33100, Italy bDepartment of Food and Nutrition, P.O. Box 66 (Agnes Sjöbergin katu 2), University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Finland cHelsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Finland dDept. Farmacología, Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, I+D Farma Group (GI-1645), Faculty of Pharmacy, and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foostr.2021.100188 Received 19 December 2020, Revised 17 February 2021, Accepted 19 February 2021, Available online 23 February 2021. 2213-3291/© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).     Abstract   Aerogels are nanostructured materials with low density, high surface area (>150 m2/g) and open porosity (typically 95–99.99 %). They are obtained by solvent removal from gels while preserving network structure. Hydrogels, organogels and even tissues can be optimal sources of aerogels with limitless customization of format and texture. Aerogels might be used for a range of advanced food applications: from smart ingredients controlling nutrient release to delivery systems for active compounds; from fat substitutes to novel biodegradable and intelligent food packaging materials. This review article summarizes recent developments of aerogels in food applications, analyzing research challenges and prospecting future markets.       1. Introduction   The advent of nanostructured materials for food applications is rather recent and mainly focused on nanoencapsulation of ingredients (protection, masking, flavoring, tuned bioavailability), packaging and nanosensors (Ghanbarzadeh, Oleyaei, & Almasi, 2015; Pathakoti, Manubolu, & Hwang, 2017). The most common approaches used for these purposes are micro- and nanoemulsions as well as liposomes but there is still a broad room for food research on other nanostructured materials.   Aerogels are defined as a special type of nanostructured material endowed with special physical features and obtained from a gel by removing the pore fluid (García-González et al., 2019). Solid, low bulk density and open porosity (mainly in the mesoporous range) stand out as specific physical properties that the material should fulfill to fit in the consensual definition of aerogel. Aerogel networks are formed by bonded particles or nanometric fibers that are loosely packed leading to high porosities (typically in the 95–99.99 % range) and very high specific surface areas (150 m2/g and above) (Fig. 1). These structures result in unique thermal and sound insulation properties and high loading capacities that are being exploited in many industrial fields (aerospace, buildings, petrochemical) and are under research in the recent years for environmental and biomedical applications (www.cost-aerogels.eu), including functional food and packaging (Lehtonen et al., 2020; Plazzotta, Calligaris, & Manzocco, 2018; Plazzotta, Calligaris, & Manzocco, 2018; Plazzotta, Calligaris, & Manzocco, 2020; Selmer et al., 2019).     Fig. 1. SEM images of the microstructures of (a) alginate and (b) pectin aerogels obtained by supercritical drying, (c) cellulose aerogels by freeze-drying, and (d) silica-cellulose composite aerogels by ambient drying.   Adapted from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2018.09.159, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.05.026, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5b05841, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-016-0514-3 with permissions.     Aerogels are obtained by the extraction of the solvent of wet gels (hydrogels or organogels) using a method that allows the preservation of the solid network structure, typically supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2)-assisted drying being the gold-standard (Fig. 1a,b). Fig. 2 shows a schematization of the possible strategies to turn hydrogels into aerogels. Prior to supercritical drying, a solvent exchange may be needed depending on the gel solvent, as the solubility of water in supercritical CO2 is low but the solubility of ethanol or acetone is high (Şahin, Özbakır, İnönü, Ulker, & Erkey, 2017). Other drying techniques, such as ambient/oven drying or freeze drying, can also lead to aerogel structures in very specific cases (Fig. 1c,d). For ambient/oven drying, surface functionalization (mainly with silanes) or flexible gels followed by the sequential use of solvents with low surface tension (hexane, pentane, ethanol, acetone) may be needed to avoid the shrinkage or cracking of the dry gel due to capillary forces (Budtova, 2019). For freeze drying of hydrogels, the higher volume of water in the solid than in the liquid form results in solvent expansion upon solidification with severe porous damages usually leading to the formation of foams with large macropores, microchannels, cracks and loss of mesoporosity after sublimation (Fig. 3b) (Baudron, Gurikov, Smirnova, & Whitehouse, 2019; Rodríguez-Dorado et al., 2019). Despite these limitations, certain biopolymer-based aerogels, typically nanofibrous cellulose aerogels but also chitin aerogels, may be also obtained by atmospheric drying or freeze-drying (Budtova, 2019; Gao, Lu, Xiao, & Li, 2017; Jiménez-Saelices, Seantier, Cathala, & Grohens, 2017; Li et al., 2019; Nemoto, Saito, & Isogai, 2015).     Fig. 2. Flow sheet (continuous line) and addition of materials (dashed line) to obtain aerogels and functionalized aerogels. Steps at which target molecule is impregnated or oil is absorbed are also shown.     Fig. 3. Aerogel engineering strategies: (a) Shape preservation; visual appearance of starch, and pectin hydrogels and their corresponding aerogels. (b) Effect of drying technique; optical appearance of a whey protein hydrogel prepared at pH 7 and the corresponding alcogels, aerogels and cryogels (above). The microstructure of the whey protein aerogels (bottom left) and cryogels (bottom right) obtained by supercritical drying and freeze-drying differed significantly in morphology and textural properties (Sa=specific surface area determined from N2 adsorption-desorption analysis). (c) Customized morphology; aerogels monoliths with personalized shape, aerogel particles from the millimetric to the micrometric sizes and coated aerogels. Adapted from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.supflu.2013.03.001, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2011.06.066, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.supflu.2012.08.019, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2594-0, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2018.09.159, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2015.     A limitless customization of the format, shape, size and texture of the aerogels is possible and is mainly carried out during the gelation step using different molds and gelation conditions (gel source concentration, cross-linker concentration, etc.) (Fig. 1, Fig. 3) (García-Gonzalez, Alnaief, & Smirnova, 2011). For the specific case of aerogel particles, the use of molds is usually replaced by technological combinations of the sol-gel processing with powder technologies (e.g., emulsion-gelation, spraying, prilling, inkjet printing, jet-cutting) or by postprocessing (grinding) (Auriemma et al., 2020; Ganesan et al., 2018). The size and texture of the aerogels can be also partially modulated during the solvent exchange step (solvent choice, direct or sequential procedure) or by post-processing (aerogel compression) (García-Gonzalez et al., 2011; Plappert, Nedelec, Rennhofer, Lichtenegger, & Liebner, 2017). Finally, aerogels with dual formats like core-shell aerogel particles and coated aerogel particles are also possible by technological combinations (Antonyuk, Heinrich, Gurikov, Subrahmanyam, & Smirnova, 2015; Auriemma et al., 2020; Bugnone, Ronchetti, Manna, & Banchero., 2018; Veronovski, Knez, & Novak, 2013).   Most aerogels are inorganic or synthetic polymer-based, being often made of silica, metal oxides or polystyrenes (Du, Zhou, Zhang, & Shen, 2013; Gesser & Goswami, 1989). However, according to different authors (Kistler, 1931; Pierre & Pajonk, 2002, 1932; Zhao, Malfait, Guerrero‐Alburquerque, Koebel, & Nyström, 2018), not only inorganic polymerizing agents but all biopolymers are potential candidates to form aerogels. Namely, the second generation of aerogels eases the penetration of these materials in the food market since it comprises biopolymer-based aerogels, including food-grade polysaccharides and proteins (El-Naggar, Othman, Allam, & Morsy, 2020; García-Gonzalez et al., 2011; Nita, Ghilan, Rusu, Neamtu, & Chiriac, 2020). These new aerogel sources provided new opportunities for food applications due to their compatibility with human diet, absence of adverse health effects and peculiar physical properties. Aerogels can be used as edible delivery systems for nutraceuticals, nutritional supplements, flavors and other additives or as intelligent components for food packaging. Aerogels can be designed to serve as hosts or carriers of food ingredients and can increase the stability of the loaded ingredient, mask its odor and allow for a controlled or pH-triggered release after intake (Betz, García-Gonzalez, Subrahmanyam, Smirnova, & Koluzik, 2012; Del Gaudio et al., 2013; García-González, Jin, Gerth, Alvarez-Lorenzo, & Smirnova, 2015; Tkalec, Knez, & Novak, 2016). Food-grade aerogels can also contribute to an increased shelf life of the product by the encapsulation of labile or sensitive components (De Oliveira et al., 2020; García-González et al., 2021; Miranda-Tavares, Croguennec, Carvalho, & Bouhallab, 2014). The use of natural polymers can be also considered as an economical and environmentally-friendly approach to penetrate the food packaging sector.   Finally, aerogels as nanostructured materials should be assessed regarding food safety, mainly with respect to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species inducing cell oxidative stresses (Eleftheriadou, Pyrgiotakis, & Demokritou, 2017; Fu, Xia, Hwang, Ray, & Yu, 2014; Pathakoti et al., 2017). Accordingly, the changes in physicochemical and biological properties of aerogels with respect to the bulk unprocessed counterpart should be critically studied in food systems.   In this review article, the current state-of-the-art of aerogel processing for food applications is compiled for the first time. This work will firstly focus on different biopolymer-based aerogel sources obtained from hydrogels, organogels and tissues as the main sources of food-grade aerogels. Then, the evaluation of these aerogels for their potential direct uses as functional ingredients by themselves, as delivery systems and as fat replacers in food products, as well as their indirect food application in packaging are discussed. Finally, current gaps and challenges in aerogel research for food are identified, and future niche markets for food-grade aerogels are prospected.       2. Bio-based materials for aerogel preparation   The preparation of aerogels intended for food applications is virtually possible from any bio-based material characterized by a tridimensional polymeric network. Table 1 compares the number of papers published on aerogels during the last two decades, in relation to specific materials that might be used for their preparation. The research was performed using not only Web of Science platform but also Food Science and Technology Abstracts ones to highlight current interest of food scientists towards aerogel materials. Data clearly unveiled that biomedical and environmental applications of aerogels are two important directions of current mainstream research. By contrast, research on aerogels intended for food applications is in its early steps and their full potential is still to be assessed. Following, the main bio-based materials that can be used for preparation of aerogels for food applications are discussed.     Table 1. Number of articles on bio-based aerogels indexed in the Web of Science and the Food Science and Technology Abstracts platforms.   Material Building blocks Biopolymer Number of papers Web of Science Food Science and Technology Abstracts Hydrogel Carbohydrates Cellulose 1129 13     Hemicellulose         -Glucomannan 28 2     -β-glucan 10 2     -Xylan 4 –     -Xyloglucan 4 –     Alginate 231 2     Chitin 65 –     Starch 91 6     Pectin 33 –     Carrageenan 23 1     Garose 24 1     Gums         -Gellan gum 1 –     -Xanthan gum 6 2     -Guar gum 12 –     -Locust bean gum – –     Hyaluronan – –   Aminoacids Gelatin 52 1     Collagen 24 –     Whey proteins 8 4     Caseinate 2 2     Egg white 6 4   Phenols Lignin – –   Nucleotides Polynucleotides – – Organogel Carbohydrates Ethylcellulose – 1     Chitin “wiskers” – –   Aminoacids Proteins – – Tissues     1 103 Search criteria: “aerogel” AND “name of biopolymer”; “aerogel” AND “tissue”. Search date: 28/11/2020.     2.1. Hydrogels   2.1.1. Polysaccharide hydrogels   At present, the majority of bio-based aerogels are obtained from polysaccharide hydrogels (Table 1). To this regard, the prospects of polysaccharide hydrogels for the production of aerogels have been discussed by different authors (Baudron, Taboada, Gurikov, Smirnova, & Whitehouse, 2020; García-Gonzalez et al., 2011; Zheng, Tian, Ye, Zhou, & Zhao, 2020). Nevertheless, applications relevant to the food sector are limited and mainly relevant to the use of cellulose and starch (Table 1) (Ivanovic, Milovanovic, & Zizovic, 2016; Mikkonen, Parikka, Ghafar, & Tenkanen, 2013; Ubeyitogullari & Ciftci, 2016). Beside them, other polysaccharides traditionally used as food thickeners or dietetic fiber, have the potential of networking, begetting gels which could be turned into aerogels. This possibility has been demonstrated with reference to hemicelluloses (Comin, Temelli, & Saldaña, 2012; Mikkonen et al., 2014; Parikka et al., 2017; Ubeyitogullari & Ciftci, 2020), pectin (White, Budarin, & Clark, 2010), alginates (Alnaief, Alzaitoun, García-Gonzalez, & Smirnova, 2011; Escudero, Robitzer, Di Renzo, & Quignard, 2009; Mallepally, Bernard, Marin, Ward, & McHugh, 2013), xanthan gum (Bilanovic, Starosvetsky, & Armon, 2016) and carrageenan (Manzocco et al., 2017).     2.1.2. Protein hydrogels   Gelatin and collagen are certainly the most studied proteins for aerogel preparation, being particularly suitable not only as drug carriers but also for the development of scaffolds for regenerative medicine and plastic surgery (Betz et al., 2012; Liu et al., 2019; Mehling, Smirnova, Guenther, & Neubert, 2009; Munoz-Ruiz et al., 2019; Zeynep & Erkey, 2014). By contrast, literature evidence about protein aerogels for food application is basically focus on dairy and egg white proteins (Chen, Wang, & Schiraldi, 2013; Kleemann, Selmer, Smirnova, & Kulozik, 2018; Selmer, Kleemann, Kulozik, Heinrich, & Smirnova, 2015). Proteins are also used in combination with other biopolymers to drive the internal morphology of composite aerogels. For instance, soy proteins have been demonstrated to be suitable for controlling the transition from fibrillar- to network-like architecture in composite protein-cellulose aerogels (Arboleda et al., 2013), while zein has been suggested as sacrificial porogen to obtain macropores within continuous starch aerogels (Santos-Rosales et al., 2019).     2.1.3. Hydrogels from other biopolymers   Recently, it has also been demonstrated that not only biopolymers with building blocks of saccharides or aminoacids can beget gels, but also those made of polyphenolic compounds, such as lignin, which might gel upon cross-linking (Li, Ge, & Wan, 2015). In addition, polynucleotides seem to be excellent components for the construction of hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties (Gačanin, Synatschke, & Weil, 2019). This is due to the fact that the gel network is stabilized by covalent bonding and not by low energy and non-specific interactions, as occurs in polysaccharides.     2.2. Organogels   Despite the high number of literature results on aerogel preparation from hydrogels, information about the possibility of obtaining aerogels from organogels is almost absent. An organogel can be defined as tridimensional networks entrapping an organic liquid (Co & Marangoni, 2012; Patel & Dewettinck, 2016; Térech & Weiss, 1997). In the food sector, this organic fluid is often represented by oil, which accounts for the use of the organogel synonym “oleogel”. Most oleogelators are low molecular weight compounds that self-assemble to form thermo-reversible organogels. The latter are likely to be unsuitable for aerogel production. However, more recently, it has been demonstrated that even large biopolymers could be used for organogelation. Examples of biopolymers able to network in oil are cellulose derivative ethylcellulose, hydrophobic chitin “whiskers” and protein emulsions/foams (Davidovich-Pinhas, Barbut, & Marangoni, 2015; Huang et al., 2015; Laredo, Barbut, & Marangoni, 2011; Nikiforidis & Scholten, 2015; Patel, 2018; Romoscanu & Mezzenga, 2006). Removal of the solvent from these oleogels could be applied to turn them into highly lipophilic aerogels, with unique oil absorption features. The feasibility of producing hydrophobic aerogels from oleogels was recently investigated, allowing scaffolds entrapping 0.6 g oil/g (Manzocco, Basso, Plazzotta, & Calligaris, 2021).     2.3. Tissues   It has been inferred that even tissues could represent optimal candidates for the preparation of bioaerogel-like materials (Plazzotta et al., 2018b). For instance, vegetable matrices can be regarded as complex networks of cellulose, embedding water within intra- and inter-cellular spaces. Adequate drying of fresh-cut salad waste actually allowed obtaining aerogel-like materials with high internal surface (>100 m2/g) and low density (<0.5 g/cm3) (Plazzotta et al., 2018a, 2018b). The use of tissues for aerogel preparation could present the advantage of simplifying the production process, since the gelling phase is not required. In addition, development of aerogel from vegetable or animal wastes could allow valorization of industrial discards, which typically represent an environmental and economic burden.       3. Applications of aerogels in food   Aerogels are porous materials, mainly occupied by air, which could find applications as low-calorie ingredients, able to tune nutrient release and modulate satiety. In addition, because of the large surface area and open pore structure, aerogels can accommodate several components, begetting a full range of functionalized derivatives. Fig. 2 shows a schematization of the possible strategies for aerogels functionalization. From one side, aerogels can be used to protect and deliver target molecules, potentially triggered by adverse environmental conditions or undesired tastes and odors. On the other hand, based on their capacity to entrap large amount of unsaturated lipids, aerogels could also be regarded as promising sources for the preparation of fat substitutes with health protecting capacity.     3.1. Functional ingredients   Aerogel production steps (e.g. gel formation, solvent exchange, drying) are expected to modify the physical structure and the chemical interactions among the biopolymers used for their preparation. It is thus likely that diffusion, erosion, swelling and fragmentation during digestion of polymer chains within an aerogel structure would occur according to rates other than those typically associated to the unstructured polymer. Similarly, environmental conditions affecting digestion would be significantly altered. This opens up brand new possibilities for using aerogels as promising functional ingredients. In fact, in the simplest case, a functional food is requested to tune the release of nutritional compounds in the gastrointestinal tract, according to the specific consumer needs. For instance, there is a growing interest in technological strategies to increase the amount of resistant starch in the diet. Resistant starch has actually the potential of improving human health by protecting against diseases such as colon cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity. In this context, Ubeyitogullari, Brahma, Rose, and Ciftci (2018) have demonstrated that wheat starch aerogels obtained from starch gelatinised at 120 °C provided a 4.5-fold increase in resistant starch content, even after cooking. On the other hand, highly porous aerogel particles could also be regarded as empty fillers, being inert or active depending on the occurrence of interactions with the other food components. In addition, the proportion of air inclusion in a gel matrix is known to improve the food sensory properties by enhancing taste and flavour perception. This is attributed to a higher diffusion rate of tastants when air is included, and contributes to an increased delivery and perception of saltiness, sweetness and flavor (Chiu, Hewson, Yang, Linforth, & Fisk, 2015; Goh, Leroux, Groeneschild, & Busch, 2010). In this sense, the introduction of aerogels in foods would represent an additional strategy to reduce energy and salt intake through the diet (Osterholt, Liane, Roe, & Rolls, 2007). Nevertheless, studies on the compatibility of aerogels with other food components during food processing and storage are almost negligible, and no information is available on the effect of aerogels on food sensory properties and consumer acceptability.     3.2. Delivery systems   The possibility of using aerogels as novel carriers has shown great promise and is certainly the most studied application in the food sector. Basically, the loading of the target compound in the aerogel can be performed at any step of its preparation (Fig. 2). Depending on this choice, two main strategies of aerogel functionalisation can be identified: wet and post drying impregnation. Table 2 compares the efficacy of these techniques when applied to impregnate differently prepared aerogels.     Table 2. Main functionalisation strategies and amount of loaded compound in aerogels of different nature and shape, and prepared according to different drying techniques. Literature references are also reported.   Functionalisation strategy Aerogel nature Drying technique Aerogel shape Loaded compound Loading (g/g aerogel) Literature reference Wet impregnation in water Glucomannan FD M Sunflower oil <0.8 Lehtonen et al. (2020)     β-glucan SCD M Flax oil <0.1 Comin et al. (2012)     β-glucan SCD M Flax lignan <0.1 Comin, Temelli, and Saldaña (2015)   in ethanol Bacterial cellulose SCD M Vitamin C 0.3 Haimer et al. (2010)     Alginate SCD P Resveratrol 0.6 Dos Santos et al. (2020)     Alginate SCD P Passion fruit extract 0.6 Viganó et al. (2020)   in SC CO2 β-glucan SCD M Flax oil 1.4 Comin et al. (2012) Post drying impregnation without assisting solvent Starch FD M Trans-2- hexanal n.r. Abhari, Madadlou, and Dini (2017)   hexane-assisted Whey protein FD M Fish oil 2.6 Ahmadi et al. (2016)   SC CO2-assisted Whey protein SCD P Fish oil 0.7 Kleemann et al. (2020) and Selmer et al. (2019)     Egg white protein SCD P Fish oil 0.7 Kleemann et al. (2020) and Selmer et al. (2019)     Sodium caseinate SCD P Fish oil 0.2 Kleemann et al. (2020) and Selmer et al. (2019)     Starch SCD M α-tocopherol 0.2 De Marco & Reverchon, 2017     Starch SCD M Vitamin K3 <0.1 De Marco and Reverchon (2017)     Alginate SCD S Vitamin D3 <0.1 Pantić, Knez, and Novak (2016) and Pantić, Kotnik, Knez, and Novak (2016)     Alginate SCD P Benzoic acid 0.2 García-González et al. (2015)     Pectin SCD P Benzoic acid 0.1 García-González et al. (2015)     Starch SCD P Benzoic acid 0.2 García-González et al. (2015)     Starch SCD M Phytosterols 0.1 Ubeyitogullari and Ciftci (2019)     Chitosan SCD M Lactulose <0.1 Díez-Municio et al. (2011)     Chitosan SCD P Lactulose <0.1 Díez-Municio et al. (2011) Post drying oil absorption without assisting solvent Iceberg salad FD M Sunflower oil 3.2 Plazzotta et al. (2018b)     Whey protein FD P Sunflower oil 2.3 Plazzotta et al. (2020)     k-carrageenan SCD M Sunflower oil 4.3 Manzocco et al. (2017)     Whey protein SCD P Sunflower oil 5.6 Plazzotta et al. (2020) n.r. Not reported. M: Monoliths; P: Particles; S: Spheres; FD: freeze-drying; SCD: supercritical drying.       3.2.1. Wet impregnation   If target molecule incorporation is performed before drying, the process is generally referred to as wet impregnation (Fig. 2). In this case, the target compound is dissolved in one of the solvents that come into contact with the biopolymer during aerogel preparation (water or ethanol). Alternatively, the target molecule can be vehiculated by the SC-CO2 flow during supercritical drying of the alcogel following a drying impregnation approach (Comin et al., 2012). For instance, the target molecule could be simply inserted in the aqueous or ethanol solution used for hydrogel and alcogel preparation, respectively. This approach requires the molecule to exert a certain affinity to the selected solvent as well as to be resistant to environmental conditions of polymer gelation (e.g., high temperature, extreme pH and ionic force) and/or subsequent steps (solvent exchange and drying). Wet impregnation can be also performed into the alcogel. In this case, the alcogel is soaked in an ethanol solution containing the target molecule for a specific time. Following, drying is carried out using supercritical CO2, which extracts ethanol and causes precipitation of the target molecule within the aerogel pores by an antisolvent mechanism (Miguel, Martín, Gamse, & Cocero, 2006). The efficacy of aerogel wet impregnation is strongly dependent on the target molecule-solvent affinity (Table 2). In fact, aerogel impregnation with phenol compounds, which are characterized by a high solubility in ethanol, seems quite effective. By contrast, oil impregnation by mixing with the aqueous phase of the hydrogel is efficacious only if water removal is performed by freeze drying, and thus avoiding possible oil transfer to supercritical CO2 (Comin et al., 2012; Lehtonen et al., 2020). A higher oil loading can be achieved by performing alcogel drying with a mixture of supercritical CO2 and oil (Comin et al., 2012). It has been postulated that the presence of oil in the supercritical CO2 may also assist in the removal of ethanol from the gel pores, although the mechanisms is not clear (Comin et al., 2012).     3.2.2. Post-drying impregnation   In the post-drying impregnation, the active substance is loaded in the dried aerogel. This can be performed by simply immersing the aerogel in the liquid target molecule (Table 2). Such procedure was used for loading aerogels with an anti-fungal volatile (trans-2-hexanal) and can only be applied when the target molecule is a liquid that does not solubilize the aerogel polymer. In most cases, the target molecule to be loaded in the aerogel is generally solubilised in an assisting solvent, which is then allowed to diffuse into the aerogel pores. The subsequent removal of the solvent from the aerogel causes solute precipitation/absorption into the matrix pores. Depending on the characteristic of the target molecule, adequate solvents are selected. For instance, Ahmadi, Madadlou, and Saboury (2016) performed post drying oil impregnation by soaking a starch aerogel in a solution of hexane-oil. Following, hexane was evaporated under hood. Nevertheless, the most efficient and common methodology for post-drying impregnation is currently based on the use of supercritical CO2 as assisting solvent (Table 2). In this case, a supercritical CO2 solution saturated with the target molecule is allowed to diffuse into the aerogel pores. Molecule impregnation would result from chemical adsorption onto the aerogel pores as well as by capillary condensation and local precipitation upon depressurization (Gurikov & Smirnova, 2018). The depressurization of supercritical CO2 is a critical step for impregnation: although fast depressurization is generally associated to higher loadings, slow depressurization allows avoiding the precipitation of the delivered compound onto the surface of the material (Selmer et al., 2019). The latter is certainly undesired when particle agglomeration should be avoided to maintain the typical free-flowing property of dried materials.   Post drying loading assisted by supercritical CO2 has been applied with reference to pharmaceutical compounds (Betz et al., 2012; García-Gonzalez & Smirnova, 2013) as well as food ingredients (Table 2). The solubility of the target compounds in the solvent (i.e. supercritical CO2) is a critical factor controlling the impregnation efficacy (Table 2) (Viganó et al., 2020).   Post drying impregnation of aerogels with non-polar compounds, such as oil, is generally reported to be quite effective, providing loading ratios in the range of 0.2−0.7 g oil/g aerogel (Kleemann et al., 2020; Selmer et al., 2019). By contrast, impregnation of molecules with lower polarity (vitamins or lactulose) seems more critical (Díez-Municio, Montilla, Herrero, Olano, & Ibáñez, 2011; García-González et al., 2015; Ubeyitogullari & Ciftci, 2019). Accordingly, when impregnation involves complex mixtures of molecules with different affinity for SC-CO2, such as oils, the relative abundance of their components in the entrapped oil can be significantly different from that of the original oil. For instance, fish oil entrapped in protein aerogels presented much higher content in triglycerides and cholesterol, and lower content in free fatty acids than fish oil used for loading (Selmer et al., 2019). Comparing data reported in Table 2, it is interesting to note that high loading efficacy of lipids was observed for impregnation into both protein- and polysaccharide-based aerogels. This suggests that the contribution of physical entrapment into the aerogel pores is probably the most critical factor controlling lipid impregnation. In other words, oil absorption into the pores would be driven by number, dimension, interconnectivity and size distribution of pores rather than by the chemical interaction of oil components with the functional groups available on the aerogel surface.     3.2.3. Stability and functionality of aerogel delivery systems   Despite the abundance of papers dealing with impregnated aerogels, limited information is available about their capacity of modifying stability and functionality of the entrapped components. Available data suggest that aerogels would be able to protect sensitive compounds. For instance, entrapping plant extracts into cellulose aerogels was shown to highly maintain their antioxidant activity (De Oliveira et al., 2020). Aerogel coating seems to be critical to decrease oxygen susceptibility of loaded oil. To this regard, Ahmadi et al. (2016) showed that fish oil entrapped in whey protein aerogels coated with zein presented about 60 % lower peroxide value than oil impregnated without coating.   The peculiar physical properties of aerogels are also expected to modify the bioavailability of loaded molecules. To this regard, in vitro bioavailability of phytosterols loaded into starch aerogels resulted significantly higher (35 %) than that of the crude phytosterols (3 %) (Ubeyitogullari, Moreau, Rose, & Ciftci, 2019). The authors also inserted these phytosterol-loaded aerogels into “real” food products, namely granola bars and puddings (Ubeyitogullari & Ciftci, 2019). Introduction of phytosterols in food in the form of aerogel-protected particles made in vitro bioavailability three times higher than when they were added as free ingredients. This effect was attributed to the lower crystallinity level of phytosterols entrapped into the aerogels.   Unlike polysaccharide aerogels which easily dissolve in water, those made of proteins are generally more resistant during swelling and digestion. This is due to the fact that proteins undergo substantial denaturation during hydrogel formation. In addition, hydrogel drying further promotes contraction of the protein backbone, leading to the maximization of the interactions among proteins (Tang, Wei, & Guo, 2014). Due to this water insolubility, the release of loaded molecules is generally delayed (Betz et al., 2012). As an example, fish oil loaded in protein aerogels was mainly released during intestinal digestion, whereas only a small amount was released during oral and gastric digestion (Kleemann et al., 2020).     3.3. Fat replacers   According to their open pore structure and large surface area, aerogels quickly uptake large amounts of oil. This capacity is particularly interesting for the preparation of oleogels, which are mainly proposed as fat substitutes to obtain healthier foods with reduced content of saturated/trans fatty acids (Patel & Dewettinck, 2016; Stortz, Zetzl, Barbut, Cattaruzza, & Marangoni, 2012). According to this application, the oil fraction is driven into the pores of aerogel particles by capillary forces and held at the aerogel surface by surface-oil interactions. For this reason, large amounts of oil closely stick onto the aerogel surface both inside the pores and outside the aerogel particle, which loses the typical dry appearance. The presence of oil at the surface of the hydrophilic particles favors particle-particle interactions, due to intense hydrogen bonding in a nonpolar environment (De Vries, Lopez Gomez, Jansen, van der Linden, & Scholten, 2017). This mechanism allows the formation of a strong particle network, where protein particles behave like building blocks able to embed oil within pores as well as to hold it tightly in the interparticle space (Plazzotta et al., 2020). Absorbed oil is generally higher than 2 g per g of aerogel, regardless of the chemical nature of the aerogel (Table 2). In the case of oleogels obtained from aggregation of whey protein aerogels, the oil content exceeded 5 times the weight of the aerogel particles. The obtained material did not lose any oil upon centrifugation and presented the typical plastic behavior of commercial solid fats (Plazzotta et al., 2020).     4. Applications of aerogels in food packaging   Packaging materials have multiple purposes, being the most important to protect the packed product against mechanical stress, gases and vapors, moisture, light, temperature, microbes, and dirt (Robertson, 2010). Packaging materials are selected based on their capacity to provide this protection, taking into account the other functions that a packaging material may perform, including containing, transporting, serving, presenting the product, and providing information to consumers. Packaging materials can be used as primary packaging, i.e. consumer packaging, or secondary packaging which contains a defined number of primary packages. Secondary packaging units can also be gathered in a tertiary packaging for better transport and storage. The concept of packaging materials also includes a variety of components that can be inserted in the primary packaging to provide further information of the product quality and shelf-life (intelligent packaging), or to extend the shelf-life by adsorbing or releasing functional components (active packaging) (Dobrucka & Przekop, 2019). Other important criteria for packaging materials are their price and environmental impacts, including origin of raw materials, sustainability of processing, and recycling routes. Importantly, consumer experience and user friendliness determine the market potential of packaging materials.   The most important and unique property of aerogels for food packaging is their porous structure, leading to low weight and high specific surface area. This provides interesting opportunities for mechanical protection, thermal insulation, or active packaging materials capable of adsorbing or releasing specific compounds. Aerogel structures also offer an inspiring basis for designers to develop and construct material shapes (Michaloudis & Dann, 2017), which is essential in packaging design.   The mechanical properties of aerogels are determined by their porous morphology (Ghafar et al., 2017). Reinforcing components, such as nanoparticles or fibers can be added to increase the aerogel strength. A practical illustration of the aerogel strength is the weight an aerogel can withstand on it. For example, a chitin-based aerogel square weighing 60 mg and having ∼5.6 cm3 apparent volume withstood an object of 100 g without any shape distortion (Yan et al., 2020). Such strong materials could provide efficient protection to packed food against mechanical stress that could occur during transport or handling. Moisture can alter material properties, especially of materials derived from bio-based polymers. Repeated (minimum five cycles) mechanical milling followed by freezing in liquid nitrogen and thawing partially separated micro- and nanosized fibrils from cellulose fibers, and enabled preparation of dimensionally stable aerogels that retained their shapes and geometric sizes in solutions (Khlebnikov, Postnova, Chen, & Shchipunov, 2020). This is a highly useful property with materials in contact with moist substances, like many foods.   A bio-based thermal insulator, such as aerogel, could be a sustainable replacement for expanded polystyrene used widely to pack products that need either cold storage, such as fish, or maintaining the temperature of hot contents, such as ready-made meals or hot beverages (Mikkonen et al., 2013). Pectin-TiO2 nanocomposite aerogels were proposed for the storage of temperature-sensitive food and prepared via a sol-gel process (Nešić et al., 2018). The thermal conductivity of these aerogels was 0.022–0.025 W/m K, being lower than the thermal conductivity of air (0.024−0.032 W/m K). The thermal conductivity of pectin aerogels followed the aerogel density within a U-shaped curve, where the density depended on preparation conditions, such as cross-linking degree and pH of the solvent (Groult & Budtova, 2018). Pectin aerogels with thermal conductivity as low as 0.0147 ± 0.0002 W/m K were obtained with the optimized preparation method. The conjunction of the thermal insulation and the lightweight is especially attractive for specialized food service conditions like aircraft meal services or crewed spacecraft food, where solutions with reduced fuel consumption is a must.   An active aerogel component was developed to be used to extend the shelf-life of fresh fruit and vegetables (Lehtonen et al., 2020). This innovation was based on in situ production and release of a volatile compound (hexanal), which affects plant metabolism by decreasing ethylene production, and prevents growth of spoilage microbes. The concept was tested with blueberries, where less mold growth was observed, and cherry tomatoes, which maintained their firmness longer when packed with the hexanal-releasing active component in comparison with control samples.       5. Aerogels within EU food regulation   The use of aerogels in foods is not mentioned in current regulation. To this regard, not only the criticisms of production but also the safety issues of the final aerogels require some considerations. Among the advantages of aerogels, literature indicate the absence of hazardous chemicals in the material preparation. Nevertheless, attention should be paid to the use of ethanol in water substitution step. The operation must be performed using ethanol without any denaturant, and considering that volatile residues could remain selectively adsorbed on the high surface area of the aerogel. This might lead to consumption limitations for specific consumers, such as children or people with religious dietary restrictions.   As regards aerogel safety under EU regulation, the question is whether these novel materials can be examined under the current Novel Foods Regulation (EU Regulation 2015/2283, 2015). Based on this regulation, ‘novel food’ means any food that was not used for human consumption within the European Union before 1997, and that falls under a defined list of categories. Among the latter, specific mention is made to food with a new or intentionally modified molecular structure as well as food resulting from technological interventions not previously used. Although not yet used for human consumption, most biopolymer aerogels seem not to fall under this category since they are made with polymers with a long history of safe food use and obtained by drying technologies which have long been used in the food sector.   Nevertheless, in aerogel production, unit operations are combined according to a novel process, in order to intentionally modify the physical structure. The large specific surface area and the pore sizes than come thereof is regarded as a property characteristic of the nanoscale (EU Regulation 2015/2283, 2015). In other words, even if aerogel monoliths or particles have sizes well above the order of 100 nm, their large surface area would account for specific physico-chemical properties that are different from those of the non-nanostructured form of the same polymer. In this sense, aerogels could be considered as engineered nanomaterials.   The debate on aerogels within food regulation is also open to other considerations, including the fact that the surface area of commercial foods obtained by freeze drying and supercritical extraction can fall in the same magnitude range of aerogels. However, in this case, there is a conceptual difference since the large surface area of aerogels is intentionally exploited to functionalise the material and improve its performance. Research on food aerogels is still in its embryonic phase and hence has not yet risen the attention of legislators. More information is certainly needed to distinguish aerogels that can be inserted in the diet from those that will require a specific authorisation.   As regards the use of aerogel as packaging materials, mention should be made to the general principles of safety and inertness for all Food Contact Materials, defined in the Commission Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004. This regulation states that the materials shall not release their constituents into food at levels harmful to human health or that change food composition, taste and odour in an unacceptable way. This should be ensured when aerogels are developed as packaging materials. Active and intelligent materials are considered under specified rules in Commission Regulation (EC) No 450/2009, as by their design they are not inert. Such materials may for example absorb substances from food packaging interior such as liquid and oxygen, release substances into the food such as preservatives, or indicate expiry of food through labelling that changes colour when maximum shelf life or storage temperature is exceeded. Substances permitted for the manufacture of active and intelligent materials are listed in the regulation. New packaging materials, including aerogel delivery systems, must go through safety evaluation as defined in the European Food Safety Authority guidelines (https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2008.21r). One possible solution is to coat the aerogel packaging surface with a barrier layer.       6. Future trends and research needs   An obvious concern with use of aerogels relates to their costs. Bio-based aerogels are typically obtained using highly purified molecules which are costly and produced with considerable waste generation. On the contrary, to allow valorization of industrial discards, which typically represent an environmental and economic burden, aerogels can be prepared according to virtues cycles of circular economy (Budtova et al., 2020). The production of cellulose-based aerogels has been explored using aqueous suspensions of cellulosic fractions of waste biomass, including cane bagasse, lupin hull, corn bracts, rice and oat husks, and spent coffee grounds (Ciftci et al., 2017; De Oliveira et al., 2019, 2020; Fontes-Candia, Erboz, Martinez-Abad, Lopez-Rubio, & Martinez-Sanz, 2019; Jing et al., 2019; Liu, Li, Zhang, Zhu, & Qiu, 2020; Zhang, Kwek, Li, Tan, & Duong, 2019). A further option is based on directly turning cellulose-rich vegetable waste into aerogels with the advantage of simplifying production process (Plazzotta et al., 2018b). Similarly, an increasing number of recent publications explore the possibility to upgrade low-value side streams to obtain aerogels for packaging applications from renewable resources (Alakalhunmaa et al., 2016). Thus the cost contribution of raw materials for aerogel preparation may be low but, on the other hand, a multiple step production process that requires the use of high amounts of solvents, such as supercritical CO2, is costly. Minimization of fresh solvent and continuous CO2 drying process could facilitate aerogel production and reduce costs in industrial scale compared to batch production (Mißfeldt et al., 2020).   Research about aerogel structure in the context of its relationship with molecular composition, processing techniques and potential functionality in food is currently being studied at laboratory level. By contrast, the fate of aerogel ingredients within food materials is almost unknown. Aerogel particles were inserted into two food products, namely, granola bars and puddings, without any specific processing issue, and provided circumstantial evidence that aerogels can be successfully implemented in food formulations (Ubeyitogullari & Ciftci, 2019). Nevertheless, the specific physical properties of aerogels suggest the need for proper adjustments of formulation, processing and storage conditions of aerogel-containing foods. The latter should be then submitted to in vitro studies to clearly highlight their fate in human gut as well as to studies evaluating consumer attitude towards aerogels and market acceptance potentiality.   When considering aerogels for food packaging, two main challenges should be addressed by the aerogel community. Firstly, transparency of bio-based aerogels should be improved. The visual appearance of packaging materials is significant for consumer experience, with transparent materials being often preferred to allow visibility of the packed food. Highly transparent aerogels from oxidized cellulose were recently developed (Plappert et al., 2017) and lead the way to broadening the properties and application range of aerogels. Secondly, after use, packaging materials can be recycled back to material production, burnt for energy, composted, or discarded to landfill. The aerogel composition and its eventual assembling into multicomponent materials will strictly condition the potential recycling options.   Finally, the main issue to be tackled in aerogel technology to become a mainstream solution for food applications is a clear definition of the conditions for their safe use for human consumption and food contact. Testing aerogels with nanostructured properties is not a trivial task, especially when they are inserted in foods, and will require the availability of methods designed to clearly define nature and kinetics of their interaction with biological tissues.       Acknowledgments   Work carried out in the frame of the COST Action CA18125 “Advanced Engineering and Research of aeroGels for Environment and Life Sciences” (AERoGELS) and funded by the European Commission. 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