HYPERBIOCOAT: Sustainable Coatings from Fruit Waste for Eco-Friendly Packaging

Date:3 August 2016

Country: Germany

Application

• Biodegradable food packaging: The project develops eco-friendly coatings from fruit waste to improve the performance of biodegradable food packaging materials.
• Cosmetics and medical packaging: The hybrid coatings are also applicable in packaging for cosmetics and medical devices, enhancing their sustainability.

Description

The HYPERBIOCOAT project developed biodegradable hybrid coatings for food, cosmetic, and medical packaging by using biopolymers extracted from fibrous fruit residues, like apple pomace. The coatings are combined with bioORMOCER®s to improve barrier properties against water vapor, oxygen, and flavors. The project also demonstrated scalable applications for industrial use, reducing environmental impacts by utilizing waste from fruit processing. This approach supports sustainable packaging solutions with lower CO2 footprints and better resource conservation.

Pathway Description:

The process used in the HYPERBIOCOAT project involves extracting biopolymers from fibrous fruit residues, such as apple pomace, through a combination of extraction and partial hydrolysis. The extracted biopolymers, primarily lignocellulose, are then chemically modified to improve their properties. These modified biopolymers are combined with bioORMOCER®s to create hybrid biodegradable coatings. These coatings are applied to packaging materials to enhance their barrier properties and biodegradability.