The subject of last issue’s Front Row column was adhesives found in nature and how they might be put to use or synthesized for use in the modern world. Scientific pursuits in the natural world go well beyond glue. Here are a couple of examples of natural substances that are used to make filmic materials.

Pullulan is a transparent polymer that is edible and mostly tasteless, and is produced by the fungus Aureobasidium pulluns. Researchers at Penn State University have been working with the substance to make food safer. Specifically, they have incorporated antimicrobial agents into the films to improve the microbiological safety of meats. According to the university, researchers evaluated the effectiveness of films containing essential oils derived from rosemary, oregano and nanoparticles against food-borne pathogens associated with meat and poultry. “The results demonstrate that the bacterial pathogens were inhibited significantly by the use of the antimicrobial films,” said Catherine Cutter, professor of food science, adding she hopes the research will lead to the application of edible, antimicrobial films for meat and poultry, either before packaging or as part of the packaging process.

In the study, which was published last year in the Journal of Food Science, researchers determined the survivability of bacterial pathogens after treatment with oregano essential oil, rosemary essential oil, zinc oxide nanoparticles or silver nanoparticles. The compounds then were incorporated into edible films made from pullulan, and the researchers measured the antimicrobial activity of these films against bacterial pathogens inoculated onto petri dishes.

Then they inoculated fresh meat and poultry products with bacterial pathogens, treated them with the pullulan films containing the essential oils and nanoparticles, vacuum packaged, and evaluated them for bacterial growth following refrigerated storage for up to three weeks. “The results from this study demonstrated that edible films made from pullulan and incorporated with essential oils or nanoparticles have the potential to improve the safety of refrigerated, fresh or further-processed meat and poultry products,” said Cutter. “The research shows that we can apply these food-grade films and have them do double duty: releasing antimicrobials and imparting characteristics to protect and improve food we eat.”

Pullulan films, she added, are not as oxygen-impermeable as plastic packaging now used to package meats, so the edible films are not likely to replace that material. “The meat industry likes the properties of the polyethylene vacuum packaging materials that they are using now. However, the one thing I really want to be able to do in the next few years is to figure out a way to co-extrude antimicrobial, edible films with the polyethylene so we have the true oxygen barrier properties of the plastic with the antimicrobial properties of the edible film.”

Shellfish afterlife
Researchers at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University report the development of a fully degradable bioplastic isolated from shrimp shells. The material can be molded into objects in the same manner that synthetic plastics are, but without a threat to the environmental.
The bioplastic is partly made of chitosan, a form of chitin that is the second most abundant organic material on earth (after cellulose). Chitin is a tough polysaccharide that is responsible for the hardy shells of shrimp and other crustaceans, armor-like insect cuticles, and flexible butterfly wings. Unlike other plant-based versions, the institute’s chitin based plastic doesn’t compete with land or other resources for basic human needs. It embodies the next iteration of Shrilk, a material that replicates the properties of living insect cuticle composed of chitin from shrimp shells and a fibroin protein from silk.

The Wyss team developed a new way to process this bioplastic, making it even cheaper and easier to make. The fabrication method preserves the strong mechanical properties of chitosan, resulting in a tough, transparent material that can be used to make large 3D objects with complex shapes using traditional casting or injection molding manufacturing techniques. The chitosan bioplastic could be used to make trash bags, packaging and diapers that break down in just a few weeks while releasing nutrients that support plant growth.
According to Polymer Solutions, chitin is used by fungi, insects and several types of sea creatures – mollusks, squids, octopuses, shrimp, lobsters, and crabs in cell walls, shells, beaks and exoskeletons. Chemically, it is a natural polymer of N-acetylglucosamine, a relative of glucose and cellulose. Chitin is most commonly extracted from crab shells, though only a small portion is used for chitin production. (Annual global crab production is in excess of two million tons, China being the top producer.)

Chitin and chitosan are used for water treatment, in cosmetic, biomedical and textile industries, and in biotechnology. Glucosamine, a monomer of chitosan, is a popular food supplement used for joint regeneration. Despite the abundance of available raw material for production, mechanical strength and excellent biodegradability, chitosan has not been explored in terms of mainstream commercial production of every-day single use products until now.

Beck’s out $20 million for ‘deceptive’ label
Last year I wrote a column about beverage labels that were challenged by consumers in class action lawsuits as containing misleading information. The focus of the article was the word “handmade” on the labels of Tito’s Vodka (still in litigation), and also mentioned a similar challenge to Beck’s Beer: “Beck’s, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI), is in US District Court in Florida, brought there by consumers around the nation who claim that ABI used ‘deceptive conduct’ in leading them to believe that the beer is brewed in Bremen, Germany. Beck’s sold in the US is now brewed in St. Louis, MO, the home of Budweiser.”

In October word came down from a US magistrate in Miami that the court has approved a $20 million settlement of the suit. According to The Wall Street Journal, the plaintiffs alleged that “phrases featured on Beck’s packaging, such as ‘German Quality’ beer and ‘Originated in Bremen, Germany,’ gave consumers a false impression about where the beer was made, in violation of state consumer protection laws.”

Under terms of the settlement, class members include consumers who purchased Beck’s beer, including Beck’s Dark and Beck’s Light, since May 2011 (Production of Beck’s moved from Germany in 2012.). They have until next month to fill out an online form to claim a refund of up to $50 with receipts or $12 without. Beck’s drinkers can get 10 cents back for every individual bottle purchased; 50 cents for a six-pack or $1.75 per 20-pack.

AB InBev did not admit to any wrongdoing by settling the lawsuit, but it agreed to make labeling changes on Beck’s bottles clarifying that the beer is US-made. It also agreed to pay a total of $3.5 million in attorneys’ fees and costs to plaintiffs’ firms.

John Socquet, Anheuser-Busch’s vice president of marketing, was quoted as saying that the company believes the “labeling, packaging and marketing of Beck’s has always been truthful, transparent and in compliance with all legal requirements.”

As of mid-September, 43,400 claims forms had been filed by class members, according to court documents. The deadline to submit them was November 20. Late last year, the company settled a similar class action suit against Kirin for leading consumers to believe the beer was from Japan.

Companies that make such errors on their labels have an added financial burden, one that benefits the label industry. New labels have to be designed and manufactured, after all, which keeps the packaging economy swinging along.



The author is president of Jack Kenny Media, a communications firm specializing in the packaging industry, and is the former editor of L&NW. He can be reached at [email protected].