Application of nanocellulose in the field of food packaging

Today, when globally advocating sustainable development, traditional plastic packaging is facing the challenge of ' difficulty in degradability and heavy pollution ' . Finding green and environmentally friendly alternative materials has become an important topic in the packaging industry. Nanocellulose , as a new bio-based material with a wide range of sources, renewable and excellent performance, has shown great application potential in the field of food packaging.

1. Introduction to nanocellulose

Nanocellulose is prepared from natural cellulose through physical or chemical methods, mainly including cellulose nanofibers ( CNF ), cellulose nanocrystals ( CNC ) and bacterial cellulose ( BC ). It has high strength, high specific surface area, good film forming, barrier properties and degradability, and is an ideal green packaging material base.

2. Advantages of nanocellulose in food packaging

Performance Advantages	illustrate
High barrier properties	Nanocellulose films have excellent barrier properties for oxygen and water vapor, and can effectively extend the shelf life of food.
Biodegradability	From natural plants, it can quickly degrade in the natural environment and reduce white pollution.
High mechanical strength	It has good toughness and strength after film formation, and is suitable for a variety of packaging forms.
Transparency and gloss	It can be made into transparent or translucent packaging materials to meet product display needs.
Good composite compatibility	It can be blended with other materials such as starch, polylactic acid, chitosan, etc. to improve comprehensive performance.

3. Typical application scenarios

1. Food plastic wrap and coating

Making nanocellulose into thin films or coating them as functional coatings on the surfaces of paper, PLA films, plastic films, etc. can greatly improve their barrier properties and mechanical properties. Suitable for the outer packaging of short-saving foods such as fruits, vegetables, and cooked food.

2. Edible packaging film

By compounding with food-grade materials such as gelatin and chitosan, it can be developed into an edible packaging film for safe packaging of foods such as candies and condiments.

3. Smart packaging materials

Nanocellulose can be used as a functional carrier, combined with pH indicator or temperature-sensitive material to realize intelligent functions such as food freshness indication and spoilage indication.

4. Paper-based environmentally friendly packaging

Using nanocellulose as coating agents or reinforcement in food paper bags and lunch boxes not only improves physical strength, but also improves oil-water barrier properties and replaces plastic lining.

4. Prospects of industrialization development

As countries gradually tighten the plastic ban and environmental regulations, the demand for environmentally friendly materials in food packaging has shown explosive growth. As a representative of sustainable materials, nanocellulose is gradually moving from laboratory to industrialization in the field of food packaging.

At present, some enterprises have achieved ton production capacity and have begun to cooperate with food brand enterprises and packaging material manufacturers to jointly promote the implementation of new products.

V. Conclusion

Nanocellulose is reshaping the ecological landscape of food packaging materials. With its advantages of green, safe and diverse functions, it is not only a powerful replacement for traditional plastic packaging, but also a key material to lead the future development of food packaging towards intelligence, functionalization and high performance.

We sincerely invite industry partners to jointly promote the joint development and commercial application of nanocellulose in the field of food packaging, and jointly create a new era of green packaging.