A sweet discovery: Food packaging that can kill viruses and extend shelf life

Brisbane researchers have discovered how to turn sugarcane waste into a new form of bio packaging, which can extend the shelf life of produce and kill viruses and bacteria with its antimicrobial coating.

The novel technology has been developed by the University of Queensland’s Nasim Amiralian and her team.

“If someone who has a flu and goes to the supermarket and touches the packaging, the next person can get sick but when we use these antimicrobial materials, those viruses or bacteria are killed,” Amiralian said.

Dr Nasim Amiralian hopes the new packaging made from sugarcane waste will be on shelves in four years.Credit: AAPIMAGE

“In less than 30 minutes, they kill all these bacteria, COVID and influenza A.”

In what is considered world-leading technology, Amiralian hopes, with industry support, the packaging will be on the shelves within four years.

The research has been done in collaboration with sugar producer Sunshine Sugar which has three mills across northern NSW.

“Obviously we make sugar, but sugar is really only 15 per cent of the sugar cane plant, so there’s all that fibre there, which basically can go to waste,” Sunshine Sugar’s Paul Madge said.

“Finding another use for this fibre is one of our high priorities.”

Reducing plastic pollution and food waste have been two key motivators for the research.

The supermarket chains are already doing work in this field, with the big three committed to reducing plastic waste.

In May, Coles launched mandarins in a recyclable paper bag, in the hope of avoiding 11.7 tonnes of plastic bags, and it’s done the same for grapes in Victoria and Tasmania with a further 68.4 tonnes removed from circulation.

Nasim Amiralin believes sugarcane waste could hold the key to reducing Australia’s ranking as the second-highest generator of single-use plastic waste per capita globally.Credit: WikiCommons

ALDI says it’s on track to meet its goal of reducing plastic packaging by a quarter between 2019 and 2025.

Woolworths’ website states it has reduced more than 1338 tonnes of plastic since 2020 by removing it from produce.

Amiralin believes the technology could hold the key to reducing Australia’s ranking as the second-highest generator of single-use plastic waste per capita globally.

“We are tackling the dual crises of plastic packaging waste and agricultural food waste, which collectively amount to 1.4 billion tonnes annually,” she said.

And it’s not only plastic waste the researchers have their sights on.

The Queensland team is also working to develop a different type of coating to be used on avocados and bananas to delay the ripening process.

“We can make this material from any biomass from just about any agricultural industry,” Amiralian said.

She hopes it will improve the shelf life of avocados after long trips when exported.

Meanwhile, the University of Queensland launched its $60 million Biosustainability Hub on Monday, where researchers will investigate the use of synthetic biology to cut carbon emissions in manufacturing industries.

Steaks made without animals, jet fuel made without oil, and fish food created using gases are among the hub’s carbon-cutting goals.

The research facility, located at the university’s St Lucia campus, will focus on creating sustainable aviation fuel from greenhouse gases with LanzaTech, and using gas fermentation to create new products, such as food for aquaculture, with Woodside Energy.

The hub will also investigate ways to create meat, milk and other foods in its Food and Beverage Accelerator, and to recover resources and reduce pollution in mining with Rio Tinto.

The university’s announcement comes less than a week after Wagner Sustainable Fuels, Boeing and the Queensland government revealed plans to build a renewable fuels refinery in Brisbane in 2026 that could produce 102 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel and 12 million litres of renewable diesel each year.

AAP