The European Union has awarded EUR 7.7m to the international NanoPack consortium – a project aimed at demonstrating, validating and testing food-packaging products with antimicrobial surfaces based upon natural materials. The funding will be used to develop and demonstrate a solution for extending food shelf life by using novel antimicrobial surfaces.

NanoPack, which is led by the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (Tel Aviv; www.technion.ac.il/en), is funded as part of "Horizon 2020", the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, and will address scientific, technological, economic, safety and regulatory challenges.

Ester Segal, NanoPack’s coordinator and associate professor at the Technion, said: “NanoPack will demonstrate a solution for extending food shelf life by using novel smart antimicrobial surfaces, applied in active food packaging products. NanoPack will enhance food safety for consumers by significant growth inhibition of food-borne microbes, which in turn will prevent food-borne illness outbreaks and early spoilage.”

The project will employ polymer composites based on natural halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) as reliable and safe carriers, capable of tailored release of bioactive payloads. Due to their size, HNTs are unable to migrate from the food packaging into food. Maximising safety, HNTs in the NanoPack food packaging slowly release minute amounts of potent, volatile, natural and EU-approved essential oils into the packaging headspace. The oils exhibit both antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties and can be tailored to inhibit growth of most food-borne microbes.

The NanoPack consortium is comprised of 18 partner organisations – leading industrial and research institutes – from Belgium, Austria, Norway, Spain, Israel, Ireland, Denmark, Portugal, France, Germany and The Netherlands.