On the 22nd of April, an all online YPACK consortium meeting was held. The meeting was supposed to be hosted by Intertek in Firenze, but due to the current COVID-19 situation, the meeting was successfully held online instead. In total 36 people from all 21 partners attended the online meeting to share and discuss the progress of the YPACK project. The 3-year project is on the home stretch, and all the results will be presented during the final conference on the 1st of October 2020 in Brussels, alternatively online depending on COVID-19 restrictions.

YPACK updates

Each partner presented their work from the last six months. Some reported results were:

  • The final yield from the PHBV purification process
  • The final price of the produced PHBV
  • The characteristics of the three types of trays as well as the food contact film: PHBV concentration, material thickness, performance
  • The physic-chemical characterisation of the trays and food contact film: mechanical properties, migration, antimicrobial properties, etc.

The tray thermoforming went well and three different designs (for three different uses) are now available. The food contact film was also successfully produced.

Concerning the biodegradability tests, both the trays and the food contact film are compostable in industrial conditions (60℃, anaerobic process) in 90 days and <40 days respectively. Home composting tests, as well as soil and marine environment biodegradation tests, are in progress. Further, the Life Cycle Analyse (LCA) of the YPACK production is almost done. The results of these will be presented at the final conference.

The next steps

The last part of the project will run over the next six months. Partners will finish up work on the following tasks:

  • Safety studies: Currently in progress and the results will be available soon.
  • Shelf-life studies: Assess food product shelf life in YPACK packaging. These tests are planned for meat, baby cucumber, and fresh pasta.
  • Consumer studies: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, it is difficult to test the use, acceptance, sensory liking, and point of purchase of YPACK packaging among consumers. Alternative testing measures are being planned for.