Investigating the Environmental Benefits of Novel Films for the Packaging of Fresh Tomatoes Enriched with Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Compounds through Life Cycle Assessment

Food systems account for 21-37% of total net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, in the European Union, the retail and consumption stages account for half of the total food waste produced across the entire food supply chain. For this, there is a continuous development of novel packaging materials to extend the shelf life of fresh products and thus reduce food waste produced at these stages. The aim of the present research is to examine the environmental performance of such materials enriched with antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds by considering their effect on the shelf-life extension of packed fresh tomatoes. In particular, two novel packaging films, a film with incorporated tomato leaf-stem extract and Flavomix through extrusion and a film coated with zein nanofibers containing the aforementioned bio-active compounds through electrospinning were studied for the packaging of fresh tomatoes and compared to conventional polypropylene packaging film. An antioxidant effect was recorded for both films achieving a shelf life prolongation of three days. Moreover, both films exhibited in vitro antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In addition, antimicrobial activity was observed against yeast and molds and the total viable bacterial count in packed fresh tomatoes. The environmental benefits were evaluated using a life cycle assessment. The results indicated a decrease in the environmental impacts by 14% considering the entire food supply chain for both novel films. The environmental performance of novel film production by extrusion shows an increased impact of 31% compared to conventional film, while nanocoating shows an increased impact of 18%.

Automated summary

Food systems contribute 21-37% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, while retail and consumption stages in the European Union are responsible for half of the food waste in the entire supply chain. To address this, new packaging materials with antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds are being developed to extend the shelf life of fresh products. This research evaluates the environmental performance of two novel packaging films enriched with these bio-active compounds for fresh tomatoes. Both films showed antioxidant effects, prolonging shelf life by three days, and exhibited antibacterial and antimicrobial activity against various pathogens. Life cycle assessment indicated a decrease in environmental impacts by 14% for both films compared to conventional packaging, although the production of the novel films had increased environmental impacts of 31% and 18% respectively.