Just
Eat It!
Though
edible packaging is much sought after abroad, its usage in India is
still in its nascent stage. Bhupendra Singh reveals more on this new-age
packaging material
At
present the most commonly used wrapping materials for food binding are
metals, glass, plastics, foil and wax board containers since they provide
protection against external contamination, after effects of atmospheric
oxygen, moisture and mechanical damage. In such kind of packaging, the
food has to be removed or separated from the package at the time of
use. In contrast to this, we can have packages in the form of films
or coatings on the product, which eventually becomes an integral part
and can be consumed without any worries. Known as edible packaging,
these are predicted as the packaging materials of the future. Edible
films and coatings are protective barriers, in addition to a portion
of the packaged food. The protective functions served by this film includes
oxygen, moisture and aroma barriers, as well as physical damage prevention.
Active ingredients and seasonings too can be incorporated into these
films like antioxidants, antimicrobial agents, colorants, flavours,
fortified nutrients, and/or spices. An edible coating is a thin layer
deposited on the surface of a food. This layer is not selfsupporting
and hence is used to improve handling properties or to prevent moisture
loss (wax coatings on fruits and vegetables). It is also used as an
adhesive in snack foods seasonings (e.g. salt on dry roasted peanuts).
Furthermore, edible packaging helps in increasing the shelf life and
reducing the need of packaging material. As against this, wax coatings
have disadvantages when used as moisture barriers as they tend to crack
upon handling or with changes in temperatures. Most research on edible
coatings has been done with cellulose ethers, starch, hydroxyl propylated
starch, corn, wheat gluten, soy protein and milk proteins. Development
of self-supporting edible films has been the subject of tremendous research
since the last decade. The advantages of using this film is that they
can be prepared by casting solutions of proteins, carbohydrates and
lipids, in different combinations and compositions. Interestingly, their
properties are found to be affected considerably by different factors
at different stages in process. Films made from natural products are
gaining increasing scientific and commercial interest in self-supporting
edible films. These films are not only biodegradable but may also be
recyclable as well as acceptable for human consumption and pharmaceutical
applications. Multiple uses, ease of disposal and the replacement of
petroleum-based raw materials with renewable agricultural products make
these types of films excellent materials for commercial development.
Various selfsupporting edible films, currently available, are made from
a variety of polysaccharides, vegetable proteins and lipids. Polysaccharides
used in edible films include alginate, pectin, cellulose, modified cellulose,
agar, carrageenan and starches among others. Proteins, other than collagen,
used in making films or coatings for foodstuffs include gelatine, casein
and albumin and various vegetable proteins such as wheat and corn gluten
and soy. Lipid films used as coatings include fatty acid glycerides
and various waxes such as paraffin and beeswax. Plasticisers may also
be included...
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