Turning Maine’s Wood Fiber Resource into Renewable Food Packaging Systems

Principal Investigator: Mehdi Tajvidi, UMaine School of Forest Resources

Partners: Douglas Bousfield (UMaine, Department of Chemistry), William Gramlich (UMaine, Department of Chemistry), Douglas Gardner, (UMaine ASCC), Nigel Sanders (Synthesis Group Minerals Technologies, Inc.), Balu Nayak (UMaine School of Food and Agriculture), Nicole Stark (USDA Forest Products Lab), & Jinqu Wang (USDA Forest Products Lab)

Abstract: This project seeks to develop novel renewable food packaging systems that take advantage of excellent oxygen barrier properties of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and high water vapor resistance of bentonite nanoclay as the core system with the additional benefit of oil resistance. The combination of these three properties will be of high significance for food packaging materials. We will develop food packaging systems with balanced flexibility, mechanical properties, fold crack resistance and barrier properties and will evaluate structure property relationships governing physical/mechanical/barrier properties of the packaging systems. The ultimate goal is to add value to Maine’s abundant fiber resource by producing multifunctional packaging systems that can extend food shelf-life and improve food quality. Various barrier systems including exfoliated/intercalated bentonite-CNF films will be produced and tested for physical and mechanical properties including oxygen/water vapor transmittance, tensile properties, dynamic mechanical properties, surface free energies, grease resistance, crack resistance and effect of cracking on barrier properties. Effects of bentonite aspect ratio and surface charge and chemical modifications of the constituents, as well as post-treatments, will be evaluated. We believe that development of multi-functional products that can use Maine’s abundant wood fiber supply is key to the commercialization of cellulose nanomaterials in the State and the country. With the current decline in the pulp and paper industry in Maine and subsequent mill closures, finding value-added alternative uses for Maine’s fiber supply is of utmost importance. The proof of concept will be used for a federal funding application to USDA/NIFA/Nanotechnology program, P3Nano or NSF by November 2018.