FEDKITO - IPC, Centre Technique Industriel de la Plasturgie et des Composites

Lancement
15/09/2020

Durée
36 months

Financeur(s)
ANR

Budget global
1 756 k €

Objective

The FEDKITO project aims to use bio-based and biodegradable plastics to develop innovative, active food packaging to improve the quality and shelf-life of fresh, perishable agricultural products such as fruit, vegetables, dairy products and meat products.

The nine project partners have joined forces to develop packaging solutions that reduce the risks of microbial contamination and insect attack. Not only are they proposing to develop bio-based systems based on chitosan and essential oils known for their antibacterial, antifungal and insecticidal properties, but they are also using biosensors to monitor food quality in real time. With a view to being environmentally friendly, the packaging produced will be biodegradable in accordance with the various standards in force.

The 36-month project will also include a study of the impact of these new active packaging solutions on the nutritional quality and taste of packaged fresh produce, and proposals for new processing, storage and distribution protocols for fresh produce.

Within the consortium, IPC’s role is to develop and produce new formulations for bio-based materials at laboratory level based on chitosan and essential oils – processing them by extrusion and thermoforming – and to suggest technical solutions for integrating biosensors into the active packaging developed.

Aims

Through the funding of collaborative research projects, the programme’s objective is to promote capacity building in research and innovation as well as to develop knowledge and shared innovative solutions in the Mediterranean region. These developments relate to water management, agricultural systems and the agri-food value chain, with the aim of making them sustainable in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.