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Durawood | Zero-VOC | Minicrystal | Ultraveg | Water-Bee | Compo-Ball | Optimalt | Wheylayer
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| WHEYLAYER |
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| Whey protein-coated plastic films to replace expensive polymers and increase recyclability. |
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In the food industry, the oxidation of fats, oils, and other food components produces off-flavours, off-colours
and nutrient loss. Protection against oxygen is a vital requirement of food packaging. Common synthetic polyolefin
films such as PE and PP are excellent moisture barriers, but must be coated or laminated with synthetic polymers
including EVOH and PVDC copolymers to provide an oxygen barrier. The resulting polymeric structures, while
effective in minimising the permeation of oxygen, water vapour, and odour, are characterised by their poor reuse
due to difficulties in separating each layer for its individual recycling. For this reason, scientists are
continually investigating alternative packaging materials such as the use of biopolymers. Despite all the
advantages offered by biopolymer films, they present limitations in their application due to a series of physical
properties and difficulties in formation.
Recent academic studies reveal that whey, the milk protein by-product of cheese production, acts as a good
moisture-barrier film with acceptable mechanical integrity. In addition, the use of whey coating on plastic films
can improve the recyclability and reuse of the plastic layer by removing the whey protein chemically or
enzymatically. This present project will build on past research in order to arrive at a commercially feasible
technique for developing whey coated plastic films, without compromising the oxygen or moisture barrier
performance of conventional plastic films, while increasing their recyclability.
The impact of this project will be considerable and embraces many issues: finding a value-added commercial use of
currently discarded whey protein, replacing harmful petroleum-based plastics with a natural by-product which would
safeguard the performance and enhance the recyclability of substrate film, meeting to growing consumer and
political environmental concerns, thus adding huge value for EU packaging, food and dairy industries.
www.wheylayer.eu
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| RTD Partners: |
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Fraunhofer Institute
TTZ Bremerhaven
University of Pisa
Innovació i Recerca Industrial i Sostenible.
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| Industry Partners: |
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The WHEYLAYER consortium includes 6 Industrial Associations from the plastics processing industries,
food industry, as well as the Dairy Industry. In addition it includes 5 small and medium sized
industries from the packaging industry, cheesemakers, as well as technological SMEs to fulfil the
supply chain of the technology.
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