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Selection of Nanomaterial‐Based Active Agents for Packaging Application: Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a Tool
Author(s) -
Zhang Hai,
Hortal Mercedes,
Dobon Antonio,
JordaBeneyto Maria,
Bermudez Jose M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
packaging technology and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1099-1522
pISSN - 0894-3214
DOI - 10.1002/pts.2238
Subject(s) - active packaging , food packaging , life cycle assessment , antimicrobial , compatibility (geochemistry) , biochemical engineering , nanomaterials , environmental impact assessment , materials science , nanotechnology , computer science , engineering , chemistry , mechanical engineering , composite material , production (economics) , economics , macroeconomics , ecology , organic chemistry , biology
The interest for using metallic nanoparticles for active packaging derives from its superior antimicrobial efficacy, no negative impacts on the food sensory properties and compatibility with harsh polymer processing conditions. There are a few candidates for this purpose, and the selection of which can be assisted by considering the packaging's environmental impacts. As a case study, three packaging films incorporating different active agents (silver nanoparticles, titanium dioxide nanoparticles and a mixture of both) were evaluated using life cycle assessment and the associated impacts were calculated and compared. The functional unit was set in such a way that it directly focuses on the function that the antimicrobial packaging is supposed to deliver: to ensure food safety and quality. To this end, the antimicrobial efficacy of each agent was integrated in the environmental impact calculation. The results show that the film incorporating the mixture of nanoparticles had the lowest environmental impacts. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.