Excellence & Objectives

The globalization of food distribution and the change of attitude towards a healthier lifestyle and environmentally friendly food packaging, have made it imperative to develop recyclable/recycled or biodegradable, non-toxic and smart/responsive materials to improve food safety and quality. Food packaging materials consisting of recyclable or recycled, and biodegradable biopolymers as well as antioxidants and antimicrobials derived from by-products of the food industry, will meet the emerging social needs to reduce waste from the use of conventional packaging materials of petrochemical origin, reduce food waste, and improve food safety and quality.

​

Therefore, aiming at four main pillars, a) the sustainable and holistic utilization of aromatic plants of the Greek land, b) the utilization of by-products of the Greek food industry which, while being a source of problems in terms of their management, are at the same time potential sources of high value antioxidants, c) the reduction of plastic food packaging materials and, d) the reduction of food waste, in the ReActPack project, it is proposed to replace conventional packaging materials with new recyclable (e.g. PE, PP) with a high percentage of recycled materials, active packaging and biodegradable packaging (e.g. PLA), by adding or incorporating natural bioactive ingredients (antioxidants, antimicrobials or antifungals), with each of them adding different advantages.

 

The addition of antioxidant/antimicrobial bioactive ingredients aims to enhance the new packaging materials and compensate for the problems arising (e.g. reduction of shelf life) from the lower barrier properties characteristic of these new recyclable and biodegradable packaging materials. The proposed research will be a major innovation in the field of food packaging and preservation, with the aim of developing improved recyclable, recycled materials, and biodegradable packaging materials, which in turn will contribute to the reduction of synthetic packaging materials and enhance the quality of food, preserve or possibly extend its shelf life and ensure its safety, while at the same time the new packaging that will be developed will help minimize the environmental footprint of CO2 and enhance the circular economy.

 

Finally, the project will enhance competitiveness and sustainability, growth at regional and European level, as well as food exports, the competitiveness of the companies involved and the creation of new jobs, both in the academic and industrial sector.