PROJECT FINAL REPORT
Grant Agreement number:
Project acronym:
289829
SUSFOFLEX
Project title: SMART and SUSTAINABLE FOOD PACKAGING UTILIZING FLEXIBLE
PRINTED INTELLIGENCE and MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
Funding Scheme:
KBBE.2011.2.3-03
Period covered:
from
01-01-2012
to
31-12-2014
Name of the scientific representative of the project's co-ordinator, Title and Organisation: Geza Toth,
postdoctoral researcher, University of Oulu
Tel:
+358 40 810 9399
Fax:
+358 8 5532728
E-mail: geza@ee.oulu.fi
Project website address:
susfoflex.com
4.1
Final publishable summary report
An executive summary
The SusFoFlex project has put a rather ambitious objective forward, specifically to deliver a technology which
targets the customers with exciting new features and which could possibly yield new production-consumption
patterns by using cutting edge sustainable technologies with smart features. The development of novel
packaging solutions in this project achieved the following characteristics:
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Sustainable: innovative packaging materials and additives developed from eco-friendly, bio
degradable materials obtained from organic agro-food by-products; or traditional packaging materials
combined with the former solutions so that their employed amount could be reduced
Increased/improved the shelf-life of the packaged food: new packaging materials with improved
barrier and antioxidant properties
Reduced food losses: thanks to the ability to extend the shelf-life, and incorporation of nanomaterials
based sensor array (intelligent packaging)
Interesting and exploitable results have been achieved regarding the possibility of obtaining antioxidant and
antimicrobial natural compounds from food residual orange peels for incorporation into PLA packaging and
edible coatings. Also promising results have been reached for the isolation of nanocellulose from another
agro-food residue (wheat straw).
Safety of packaging materials the food safety aspects to be taken into account when developing the materials
involved in the project (sensors, components, packaging), in this regard their chemical and legal compatibility
with the selected target food products were characterised. Migration analyses were carried out with different
PLA samples developed under the project. The results using these simulants confirm that the tested PLA can
be used as an alternative to traditional packaging materials for any food, with the exception of foods with
alcohol content > 20%, oil-in-water emulsions and foods with free fats on the surface.
Tests carried out on the various electrical sensor materials – both regular and bio materials, led to the clear
understanding of the advantages and limitations of the sensor materials to be incorporated on and into the
packaging, based on the stringent requirements of food compatibility, permeability of the packaging materials
for solvents, nanoparticles, etc.
Patent pending packaging design and three specific sensor solutions – a colour indicative ethanol sensor, an
electrical responsive ethanol sensor and a thermochromic sensor, were developed and produced in small scale
by the end of the project.
The project was coordinated by the University of Oulu, Finland and had another fourteen partners from
Finland (Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT, Confidex OY), from Italy (Universita Cattolica Del Sacro
Cuore), from Spain (Fundacion Cetena, Fundacion Cidetec, Anecoop Sociedad Cooperativa, Tecci Circuitos
Impresos SL), from Hungary (Szegedi Tudomanyegyetem), from Ireland (System Label Limited, Georgia
Tech Ireland), from Portugal (ICETA - Instituto de Ciências e Tecnologias Agrárias e Agro-Alimentares),
from Turkey (Kalite Sistem Laboratuvarlari AS) and from Norway (Tommen Gram Folie AS).
Thanks to the exploitation and dissemination managers, the concrete outcome of the project was excellent. In
addition to the exploitable foregrounds, over 20 papers, talks and lectures were held related to the project,
totalling over 100 public appearances in the three years.
A summary description of project context and objectives
Regarding sustainable development scientists are continuously looking into the possibilities for improving the
technology, hence creating novel materials with unique properties and wide range of applicability. Industries
are actively taking advantage of these new materials, so more and more engineered products (functional and
smart materials) are entering into the marketplace. In the food industry, experts are adopting these research
materials and using them to, for instance, enhance flavors, deliver nutrition principles to the targeted tissues
and introduce antibacterial nanostructures into foods. Using non-conventional technology in food related
applications is a very delicate issue, there are many health and ethics related concerns which have to be solved
to facilitate the application of these novel technologies. These advancements however offer tremendous
benefits not just within, but also around food products e.g. sensing volatiles, detecting microorganisms, and
improving packaging and product information as well as overall performance. Such systems are also called
intelligent packages (IPs). These applications are less controversial in terms of human acceptance and could
serve as a stepping-stone for the general public to appreciate what today’s materials technologies can offer to
the food industry and where benefits for consumers can be derived from these.
This project focused on the fresh-cut fruits as a specific food category with well-known for problems of short
shelf-life, safety and food losses. However the methodology approach could also applied to other food
categories characterized by high and increasing market volumes (such as fresh cut meat).
The development of a methodology that could be flexibly applied to different food categories:
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Identification of food storage requisites
Identification of properties of traditional packaging solutions used at present for that food
Development of sustainable materials with competitive performance
Development of innovative solutions with improved performances
Industrial small-scale demonstration of the results
The consortium was to investigate different traditional packaging materials (PP/PE) and identify the key areas
where improvements in terms of barriers and smart functions can be made by using natural additives, filler
and nanomaterials (natural antioxidant extracts, cellulose-based bionanocomposite, nano-silicates, edible
nanolaminate coatings), by PLA films, and by developing nanomaterials based sensor array that can gain
information on the condition of the product (e.g. freshness). The sensor array was to be tailored for certain
type of applications, e.g. sensing micro-organisms (biological sensor) or gases present (chemical sensor) in the
package. The sensor was planned to be an integrated part of a smart label/sticker, where low-cost printing
technologies can be utilized. This sensor envisioned to monitor the packaged food, and communicate the
information to the user. In addition, the sensor should have displayed some information if there are possible
dangerous consequences (expired food, proliferation of harmful bacteria, etc.) in the consumption of the
product. Hybrid (combination of conventional and fully printed components), RFID based near field
communication were thought to be used for communication. RFID was also proposed to be integrated in the
smart label by using a state-of-the-art hybrid roll-to-roll facility available in the consortium.
A description of the main S&T results/foregrounds
The project was divided into 11 (last one being the management) workpackages. In the following we describe
the objectives and S&T results for each workpackage.
WP 1 Benchmarking
The objective of WP 1 was to carry out the benchmarking of packaging materials, food related sensors and
market expectations.
In our reports Current solutions for biopolymers, smart packages and consumer trends were investigated. The
established roadmap for future smart and sustainable packaging, based on existing roadmaps served as a
guideline for the projects’ developments. From the roadmap information, the boundary conditions and
specifications for all technology to be utilized were determined. Food products, (inside the category of fresh
foods), were selected based on e.g. the market volumes and the susceptibility to quality deterioration with
serious economic and social consequences. This workpackage has ended in the first period of the project.
WP 2 Food product - packaging concept interaction
The objective of WP 2 was to study the interactions between the selected food products and the active,
intelligent and sustainable packaging concepts developed in the project. The aim was to fix the target values
for packaging materials for the selected food products, to study the quality deterioration of selected food
products by investigating the quality indicating metabolites, and to characterize the food safety aspects,
particularly their chemical and legal compatibility, to be taken into account for the material development
(sensors, components, packaging).
Packaging material requirements set by the selected food product discussed fresh-cut fruits and the problems
related to their post-harvest storage, processing and packaging, the traditional packaging materials used for
their commercialization, the on-going research on active packaging and, finally, presented basic rules for the
definition of the barrier properties of an optimal packaging solution. In addition vegetable fresh-cut products
and fish were discussed. The packaging requirements (in terms of gas barrier properties, transparency,
printability, moldability, sealability, peelability, etc) for the selected food products were evaluated.
For development of indicators or sensors capable of detecting the quality of a food product it is essential to
know the quality indicating features, i.e. substances produced during spoilage in food products. Quality
deterioration of selected food products a comprehensive compilation of published data on fresh-cut fruit and
fresh fish spoilage was elaborated. On the basis of published literature volatile substances, such as ethylene
and particularly ethanol and acetaldehyde, were identified as spoilage markers for fresh-cut fruit, while
aldehydes and ketones are spoilage metabolites of fish. It is likely that some sulphurous or nitrous substances
are appropriate for monitoring chemical spoilage in certain cases, but they could not be detected in the
experimental setup. In the experimental part the fresh cut fruit deterioration product analysis measurements
were performed by monitoring the vapour phase by gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry.
The conclusions are that analytically relevant common metabolites of the studied fruits are ethanol and CO2.
In particular, the formation of acetaldehyde was not observed for fresh cut fruits. Based on the study it was
decided to focus on ethanol sensor development compatible with packaging and RFID technologies.
Safety of packaging materials the food safety aspects to be taken into account when developing the materials
involved in the project (sensors, components, packaging), the viewpoint will be in their chemical and legal
compatibility with the selected target food products were characterised. Authorisation under active and
intelligent material regulations will be needed for e.g. substances in intelligent materials (except they are
outside a barrier) and substances in “nanoform”. Special attention has been given to regulations applicable to
biobased materials and edible coatings. The concept of nanomaterials in packaging/food has been given
special concern. The output is an overview of the present legislative situation and a listing of relevant
regulations which must be observed.
Determination of the food packaging interactions through total migration tests were carried out in the second
period. The results of the migration tests were evaluated and compared to the relevant legislation. Moreover, a
comparison between traditional packaging and packaging with new developed materials was carried out.
The migration analyses carried out with different PLA samples developed under the project, indicate that,
when the material is in contact with the product for supposed worst conditions of temperature between 20 °C
and 40 °C and for a period from 3 to 30 days (corresponding to a migration test at 40°C for 10 days), the
overall migration to the product is well below the legislation limit (a maximum migration of 2.3 mg/dm2 as
the limit value is 10 mg/dm2). Furthermore, the total immersion test used is more severe than other overall
migration tests (such as testing in a pouch or in a cell or by filling).
In order to make a comparison between the traditional packaging materials and PLA, migration tests were
carried out by KLS on different samples of polyethylene and polypropylene materials with polyethylene and
polypropylene materials under the same conditions as those used for PLA samples. The tests were carried out
with aqueous simulants corresponding to the use of the materials in fresh-cut fruit packaging. The migration
values of PLA films were lower than those of traditional polyethylene and polypropylene packaging materials.
A slightly higher migration was recorded for the PLA enriched with nanoclays. Silver migration tests were
carried out on PLA films into which silver was incorporated as antimicrobial additive. Results show that the
incorporated silver is not easily released from the Susfoflex materials
The results using these simulants confirm that the tested PLA can be used as an alternative to traditional
packaging materials for any food, with the exception of foods with alcohol content > 20%, oil-in-water
emulsions and foods with free fats on the surface.
The work in other work packages was based on results of WP2. Thus the performance of the new packaging
materials was compared with target values fixed in WP2, and sensor development was directed towards the
actual spoilage metabolites detected in fresh-cut fruit. The food compatibility of the new materials was
studied. The tested material was found suitable for use as an alternative to traditional packaging materials for
the target food type, particularly for fresh-cut fruit.
WP 3 Packaging materials development
WP3 was aimed to develop innovative packaging materials that, compared to the solutions used at present by
the processing industry, could improve/extend the shelf-life of fresh foods (in particular the WP activities
were focused on fresh cut fruits) being, at the same time, more sustainable from an environmental point of
view.
The research was addressed to the development of a flexible biopolymer, a polilactic acid (PLA) based
packaging, with improved processing and barrier properties and thermal resistance for the selected food
application. Improvement strategies consisted in the addition of specific additives/filler (nanoclays,
nanocellulose, silver nanoparticle) and of specific additives with antimicrobial/antioxidant properties.
Wherever possibile these additives were obtained from natural and residual sources of the food chain.
Application of edible coatings on fresh cut fruit products was also investigated in order to reduce/control gas
exchanges from the food, working as complement or substitute of modified atmosphere packaging and
potential vehicle for the addition of antioxidant additives.
An initial part of this WP activity was devoted to calculation of ideal permeability values for the selected
fresh-cut-fruit products and identification of the required improvement areas for PLA based packaging:
oxygen and water permeability, transparency and additivation and nanoadditivation to improve processing
problems, environmental impact and antioxidant/antimicrobial activity of both PLA and traditional packaging.
Considering the fundamental sustainability aspect, natural antioxidant additives and nanocellulose were
tentatively produced from agro-food by-products. After screening trials, waste orange peels and wheat straw
were selected for isolation of antioxidant and cellulose, respectively. Optimized production protocols of
purified orange peels extract formulations suitable for incorporation into PLA polymers and into edible
coatings were developed (in particular purification could improve the antimicrobial properties). The extracts
were successfully incorporated into PLA, but final prototypes for fruit testing could not be developed due to
limitation in productivity capacity. The final PLA had an orange colour which makes it more suitable for other
applications that fresh-cut fruits.
Nano-cellulose to be used as natural packaging filler was successfully isolated from wheat straw (an agro-food
by-product) with a yield of about 25 % of the initial cellulose. Different production procedures were
investigated and optimised. Also in this case due to the limited production capacity of the partners systems,
they were not finally tested for incorporation into PLA.
Globally, important advances were reached on the development of PLA packaging regarding the optimization
of the industrial sheet-extrusion process and the incorporation of different functional additives: orange peels
extract; nanoclays (to improve barrier and mechanical properties); silver nanoparticles (to improve
antimicrobial properties). PLA-based biocomposite films were produced firstly at lab-scale and then at pilot
scale. The different specimens were fully characterized for physical, thermal and mechanical properties. Based
on the dispersion of the additives in the PLA matrix, on the mechanical properties of the films and on the
barrier properties (the latter compared to the properties of conventional PET and the ideal values calculated
for some target fresh-cut fruits), the three most suitable innovative PLA formulations (all containing
nanoclays) were selected. The oxygen permeability of the selected formulations resulted higher than for the
PET material used at present, and closer to the ideal permeability estimated for fresh-cut persimmon and
orange. It was, then, expected that the selected materials would have the required characteristics to extend
fruit shelf-life compared to the conventional packaging used by industry (Milestone 4), and they were used in
WP2/WP8 for production of prototypes and fresh-cut fruit shelf-life tests. For this purpose, specific prototype
moulds had been designed and tested to manufacture a small batch of packaging. These formulations satisfied
also the achievement of Milestone 5 (at least one packaging solution able to achieve at least the same shelf-life
but with a higher sustainability) due to PLA employment.
A final recommended protocol for the manufacturing of a PLA film in a conventional blown extrusion
machine was defined. The protocol defines the values for the process parameters of the involved five steps:
cleaning and purging of the extruder; cleaning of the hopper system; introduction of PLA into the extruder at
lower temperatures to purge the system; reduction of the barrel temperatures with a specific screw speed to
achieve a thickness of 25 microns; shutdown.
Traditional polymers (PP and PET used at present for fresh-cut fruits packaging) were compared with PLA for
mechanical and permeability properties and for nanoclay incorporation. While the additivation strategy carried
out under the project could improve the PLA properties towards those of conventional plastic, nanoclay
additivation did not result advantageous for PP and showed some property advantages for PET.
The research on edible coatings was mainly oriented to the search for solutions that delay the oxidative
browning of the products, developing edible coatings with reference antioxidants to be directly applied on
fresh-cut fruits, reducing its browning and preserving its quality. Due to seasonality issues, apples were
chosen as model fruit and persimmons were analysed when available. The studies were made with locust bean
gum (LBG), soy protein isolates (SPI) and pectin based edible coatings. These biopolymers were chosen due
to their plant origin, and wide range of structural and functional characteristics. Pectin was also chosen
because it can be isolated from waste orange peels. Commercial antioxidants used in the sector were tested, as
well as the natural orange peels extracts produced in the WP, were added to the coatings formulation. The
results indicated that the efficacy of these coatings is highly dependent on the type of fruit and that, when SPI
were adopted, the acidity is a key factor on the results obtained. The results also highlighted that in the case
of phenolic antioxidants (the compounds present in the orange peels extracts), due to their low solubility in
water, it is essential their incorporation into a coating.
For fruits with no significant oxidative browning problems (melon and nectarines), the tested coatings did not
work, with the main detected problems being a vitreous appearance after storage, loss of firmness and offflavours. Thus, tests were conducted with melon using potassium sorbate (a GRAS additive active against
yeast, moulds, and some bacteria) as antimicrobial agent. Sodium alginate, soy protein isolates (SPI) and
pectin was used as base materials for the edible coatings. Pectin-based coatings revealed more efficient than
the alginate and soy protein-based coatings.
The incorporation of orange peels extracts in edible coatings (locust bean gum, soy protein isolate - SPI and
pectin based edible coatings) applied to apples was also tested. The first results were not very good and
several changes were made to increase the extracts efficiency. Not purified extracts had been used so new
purified freeze-dried were produced and made available for tests that will be developed after the end of the
project.
As a conclusion, interesting and exploitable results have been obtained regarding the possibility of obtaining
antioxidant and antimicrobial natural compounds from food residual orange peels for incorporation into PLA
packaging and edible coatings. Also promising results have been obtained for the isolation of nanocellulose
from another agro-food residue (wheat straw), even though research is still needed to optimise its
incorporation into PLA films.
Three formulations of PLA, together with the recommended manufacturing protocol, were developed with
improved mechanical and barrier properties compared to neat PLA and with potential application for
packaging of fresh-cut fruits with extended shelf-life and less environmental impact compared to traditional
plastic materials. The working strategy could be followed for the development of PLA tailor made for other
food applications.
WP 4 Sensor materials development
The goal of WP4 was to develop novel sensor materials able to indicate the quality of packaged food products
either directly or indirectly. The WP was to produce concepts which will be printed and integrated with RFID
in subsequent work packages. Two types of sensor materials were to be developed in this WP: (1) sensor
materials responding to the presence of target analytes with electrical changes and (2) sensor materials
responding to increase in temperature with visual colour change (thermochromic indicators). The WP will also
include the preliminary evaluation of the printability of the sensor materials on adhesive label materials.
Most of the developmental work on the sensor materials were done already before M18 and were reported in
the deliverables by M24. The main outcomes of the WP4 are:
1. Tests carried out on the various electrical sensor materials – both regular and bio materials, led to the
clear understanding of the limitations of the sensor materials to be incorporated into packaging based
on the stringent requirements of food compatibility, permeability of the packaging materials for
solvents, nanoparticles, etc, detectable analyte from degrading foods, temperature and other variation
of the handling conditions in package supply chain, very low cost of the sensor material etc.
2. Three specific sensor materials – a colour indicative ethanol sensor, an electrical responsive ethanol
sensor and a thermochromic sensor, were developed in this WP and were further developed in WP5,
WP6 and WP7.
3. Printability of the various sensor layer and the electrical components related to the sensor were also
tested and reported in WP4. The printing tests were done both on the packaging material (to test the
possibility of the integration of the sensors on the packaging material itself) and on separate materials
(can be applied as labels on packages). These tests identified the limitation of the PLA packaging
material for printed materials and identified use of labels as the only possibility of including the
sensors on the packages.
WP 5 Sensor electronics development
In WP5, GTI and VTT were to develop sensor modules, based on the sensors developed in WP4, which can be
integrated with RFID technology to allow RF communications between the smart packaging and an external
reader. Development of the reader hardware will be required to allow it to communicate with the new novel
sensors integrated on the packaging. System Label will assist GTI and VTT in integrating these technologies
onto smart label prototypes. UOulu were to develop test platforms for sensor materials testing.
RFID reader hardware development in this WP was done in the early part of the project and the testing of the
sensor materials/modules in the RFID system was done in later part of the project. The testing of one of the
sensors (the thermochromic sensor) as part of the package was done. The main outcomes of the work in WP5
are:
1. Confidex developed printed RFID tag antennas on paper substrates within this WP. This has farreaching consequence regarding biodegradability and recyclability of the RFID tags used in future
commercial products.
2. A new optical-cum-RFID reader-writer system was developed by GTI and VTT in this project that
can be used to optically read colour of sensor layers and store the information of the colour digitally
into a RFID tag as a unique ID. The related software for the reader was also developed in WP5. The
color-changing ethanol sensor and thermochromic sensor developed in WP4 were tested using this
equipment. This is an unique equipment that can enhance the functionality of indicators in packages
by providing a digitized information about the indicator to the retailer or the customer.
3. Confidex developed a UHF RFID tag that incorporated a temperature sensor and data-logger that
stores the temperature data over a period of time. The tag-reader and software are also developed.
This will be a valuable RFID tag for supply-chain monitoring of temperature-sensitive goods, namely
vaccines.
WP 6 Materials and electronics printing
The objective of this WP was to survey and report the materials and electronics printing processes available in
the consortium. We also evaluated the usability of materials for RFID antenna manufacturing. It was
concluded that it is feasible to combine conductive antenna printing into the RFID tag manufacturing process
using suitable materials compatible with the manufacturing processes. Printing processes are efficient and cost
effective ways of producing electronic applications such as RFID antennas, however, for conventional screen
printing RFID antenna directly on to the PLA film, it would need to be in a thicker format than 25um or be
more stable for the high curing temperatures required for the silver conductive inks. In addition we found that
screen printed antenna on paper substrate is a doable process and ready for high volume mass production.
Drawback of silver printed antenna is the cost of raw material compared to other potential future processes
such as plated copper or laser die-cut antenna. The cost of raw material can be more than 1 cent for single
antenna. Cheaper antenna can be printed for example with flexographic process, but RF performance of the
antenna might not be sufficient for all applications
WP 7 Component integration, software and user interface development
In WP7, VTT and GTI were to be involved in the integration of the necessary support elements for the sensor
system, including the hardware and software for the sensor sub-system, the RF communications protocols,
reader hardware and embedded software that connect to the higher layer software (WP8) and user interfaces.
At ICETA the achieved packaging solutions were to be tested with a model food system, under simulated
storage and distribution conditions. Physical-chemical properties of those model food systems and microbial
growth will be monitored through its shelf life.
The RFID hardware development work in this WP started early in the project and the application of the
hardware for the sensor systems developed in WP4 and WP5 were done in the later part of the project. The
most significant achievements of this WP7 are:
1. VTT developed an ethanol sensor coupled with RFID tag. The tag changes its state of response (nonresponding to responding) after exposure to ethanol. This wirelessly readable ethanol sensor can have
potential application in food packages and breathe alcohol measurement. This is also a generic sensor
solution for other types of sensors, namely humidity sensors that can be incorporated into buildings
for wirelessly reading the presence of humidity, and mold, in buildings.
2. UOulu, together with VTT and CIDETEC, dveoped a thermochromic sensor also coupled with
microfluidics and RFID. This is a unique application of roll-to-roll printed microfluidic channels for
sensor applications.
3. A smart-phone based software was developed that can be used to read the state of a colorimetric
sensor and save the data digitally in a remote server. This will be a very useful tool for consumers and
retailers to check the history of storage of a food package and compare it with its condition in real
time.
4. Microbiological testing results on the food packages showed that the presence of nanoclays and
surfactant in the formulations of PLA packages seems to approach their performance with those
observed in PET packages, with regard to all tested parameters. This result is significant in moving
towards implementing PLA-based biodegradable packaging for food products instead of oil-based
PLA materials.
WP 8 Demonstration and small scale test batch production
The main objective of this work package is to demonstrate the feasibility of the industrial production
of the developed products.
One of the main achievements in the WP was Andaltec’s design patent application for two packaging
sharing the same grid and the same fork. This protection is necessary in order to exploit the results
when the project ends. The applications were sent on 11 of November of 2014.
Industrial Designs
Packaging 1. Registry 2575860-0001.
Packaging 2. Registry 2575860-0002.
This design is the same than the previous one but the pins to place the grid have been deleted. This could
simplify the production process in case this is needed by an end-user. The picture of the packaging is included
below.
Packaging 3. Registry 2575860-0003
This third packaging design develops the same concept but in this case we have two different joined packaged.
In this way the grid is in fact part of the package placed bellow the other. This could be more expensive than
the previous one, but probably has a better visual aspect. The drawing is included bellow.
Fork. Registry 002575837-0001.
We have protected 4 different industrial designs in the framework of Susfoflex project. When the project ends
we will work towards the exploitation of these designs. Firstly, and following our exploitation plan, we will
try to meet an agreement with the partners of Susfoflex project. Later and depending of the results of the
internal negotiation we will eventually launch a call for external end-users.
The design selected for demonstration was called Package 1 (Registry 2575860-0001) due to it is simpler and
its production is expected to be more economical than the third design and the pins to hold the grid gives a
better visual impression to the potential consumers in comparison with design number 2.
In this workpackage we also carried out the small scale production of all project innovations. Additionally the
definition of the industrial environment for the large-scale production of the SusFoFlex products and
technologies was presented. The prototype production processes defined a subtask were the starting point. The
production of these prototypes was scaled up and, therefore the industrial production requirements were
identified and defined.
Achieved progress and obtained results:
The Industrial production at small scale of de different components of the packaging was conducted by:
 Producing enough parts for product validation and testing.
 Validating the product in terms of mechanical, biodegradability and barrier/active properties.
The simulation was the tool utilized for designing the production lines because of the following:
 Simulation predicts the behavior of systems under various current or foreseeable situations and gives
the ability to discuss alternatives to the optimization of production systems without having to
physically alter.
 Simulation gives the organization of training and education about how systems are operating,
allowing the detection of logistical problems and evaluating alternatives.
Also in this workpackage we studied the consumer’s acceptance. This study was based on a survey about the
buying behaviour of food-packaging’s users and their interest in the developed products/technologies. The
consumer panel was composed by inhabitants from the countries of the SusFoFlex partners: FINLAND,
HUNGARY, IRELAND, TURKEY, PORTUGAL, ITALY, NORWAY and SPAIN and of a largest possible
variety of profiles: genders, different education levels, all age groups, different household status, and etcetera.
As the last part of this WP, we carried out the life cycle analysis of new packaging materials impacts with
environmental, social and economic indicators. The assessment aimed to provide information about the
existing and desired end-of-life scenarios for the novel packaging. Due to the enhanced barrier properties of
the novel packaging solution, the shelf-life of the food product was expected to be longer compared to that of
the PET packaging.
WP 9 Environmental issues
The objective of WP9 was to assess the environmental risks exercised by the new packaging materials. In
particular, the stability and biodegradability of the packaging polymers and the possibilities of harmful
material release from the sensor tags were evaluated.
WP9 was a successful multi-partner collaboration effort. Commercial packaging reference material was
provided by Anecoop and new materials were created by Andaltec making use of additives and expertise from
Cemitec, CDT and Tecci. Tests were performed by Andaltec, UCSC, KSL and SzTE in the following
directions: additive migration, biodegradability, mechanical deterioration during usage. Sensor tags were
made available by Confidex with input from Oulu and VTT, tests were performed by Oulu and SZTE in the
following directions: long-term sensor stability and usage-induced component release from sensor tags. All
other partners have contributed to both test procedures by offering their comments and insights.
Activities in this WP pivoted around two central themes: (i) short-term component release studies related to
sensor stability, and (ii) long-term packaging material stability related to changes in the properties of the new
packaging polymers.
The main conclusions of the work package can be summarized as follows:
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The intelligent packaging solutions developed in the SusFoFlex project to not pose any major
environmental hazards that would prevent their commercial application. Migration values of the additives developed in the project for the novel SusFoFlex polymers were far
below the allowed limit (10 mg/dm2) set by the EU regulation (Commission Regulation EU No.
10/2011. The biodegradability of the novel SusFoFlex PLA polymer was confirmed.
Evidence was found that fresh cut fruit deterioration products can adversely affect both the PLA
packaging material and the intelligent sensor tag material. However, it takes extreme measures to
initiate such adverse effects. These extreme conditions are not likely to occur during real use,
therefore, the concept of sustainable and intelligent packaging can be confirmed as benign from the
general health/safety point of view.
WP 10 Exploitation and dissemination
The objective of this WP is to deal with the outcome of the project, both externally by publishing papers,
representing the project in the media, participating in congresses, conferences and fairs and internally by the
definition of an individual exploitation plan for each of the industrial partners.
Achievements are detailed in later part of this report.
The potential impact and the main dissemination activities and exploitation of
results
The socio-economic aspects of the project are potentially enormous. The developed innovative packaging
solutions will allow the reduction of packaging and food wastes as well as the valorisation of agro-food
wastes, providing clear benefits to consumers, environment and profit to the involved industrial sectors.
Having real-time knowledge about the edibility and quality of the food will reduce health related risks and
illnesses originated from consumption of expired or not properly stored food. It will also be extremely
convenient to gain knowledge about the product in a simple manner; consumers will not need to analyse
difficult charts and learn new scientific expressions to know what is good for them. The data obtained from
the sensor can be presented through an easy-to-understand method, e.g. colour changing icons. The developed
cell phone or tablet interfaces will help to convert this technology into part of our everyday life.
The SusFoFlex consortium has operated its webpage and continuously carried out both scientific
dissemination and public outreach activities. 116 dissemination activities are listed in the report and 20 public
news items were published on the homepage between 1st March 2012 and 8th December 2014.
In addition to regular dissemination at the partner level, the SusFoFlex consortium has organized two major
dedicated project level dissemination events: the SIWAN 2012 and SIWAN 2014 conferences. Both were
attended by at least 150 colleagues from over 25 countries who were thus all introduced to SusFoFlex.
Producing exploitable, useful results was a top priority for the SusFoFlex consortium right from the
beginning. The fundamentals were established early in the project by joint activities including the IP/IPR
webinar in 2012 and the Exploitation Strategy Seminar in 2013. A total of 17 potentially exploitable results
were identified on this basis. By the end of the project, SusFoFlex has already produced 6 protectable
intellectual properties (4 registered designs in Spain and 2 internal invention disclosures in Finland).
The address of the project public website and relevant contact details
7 (including 5 SMEs) industrial companies from Spain, Ireland, Norway, Finland and Turkey and 8 European
RTD units (5 research centre and 3 universities) took part in the
SusFoFlex project, integrating their knowledge and experience to
achieve the desired results.
Contact information for the consortium and main members:
Coordinator, WP1, 6, 11 leader: Geza Toth, University of Oulu,
Finland, geza@ee.oulu.fi
WP2, 4, 5, 7 leader: Thea Sipiläinen-Malm, VTT Technical
Research Centre of Finland, thea.sipilainen-malm@vtt.fi
WP3 leader: Giorgia Spigno, Università Cattolica del Sacro
Cuore, Italy, giorgia.spigno@unicatt.it
WP8
leader:
Gabriel
Morales,
Andaltec,
Spain,
gabriel.morales@andaltec.org
Project website: http://susfoflex.com/