That's an (edible) wrap!

This April marks the 47th anniversary of the very first Earth Day which started way back in 1971. Earth Day celebrations often highlight the need to reduce our carbon footprint by reusing, reducing, and recycling. Recyclable or compostable food packaging is growing in popularity. This is excellent but how about the reducing part of the solution? We are very excited to hear about some pioneering work from some of our users to create an entirely different solution that eliminates the need for recyclable packaging. For the past ten plus years, Peggy Tomasula and her colleagues at the USDA have pioneered the use of casein, a milk protein, in edible food packaging and wraps. While starch-based films have been used as packaging for a few years, casein-based films may offer a better alternative.

“To create an all-around better packaging solution, Tomasula and colleagues at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are developing an environmentally friendly film made of the milk protein casein. These casein-based films are up to 500 times better than plastics at keeping oxygen away from food and, because they are derived from milk, are biodegradable, sustainable and edible. Some commercially available edible packaging varieties are already on the market, but these are made of starch, which is more porous and allows oxygen to seep through its microholes. The milk-based packaging, however, has smaller pores and can thus create a tighter network that keeps oxygen out.”

Congratulations to the USDA team and their colleagues for their pioneering work on this research that will make a difference not only now but well into the future!

Read more:

That’s a Wrap: Edible Food Wraps from ARS

Edible food packaging made from milk proteins (video)

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