UGent researchers developed sustainable food packaging based on coriander oil and recycled shellfish waste to prolong the shelf-life of food.

The innovative packaging currently developed is produced from coriander oil and chitosan, a bio-polymer present in shellfish waste. Chitosan itself has a protective activity against fungi and bacteria. Professor Chris Stevens of the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering and his team work on the coupling of chitosan and coriander oil, resulting in a product with interesting antibacterial activities. "The resulting synthesized molecules can be applied as packaging material for agricultural products and food in view of a prolonged shelf-life", explains professor Stevens.

Innovative extraction process

The innovative extraction process of coriander oil was established in an international cooperation with Toulouse and drew already attention of an industrial partner. The search for innovative applications for coriander oil in the PhD research of ir. Evelien Uitterhaegen fits within a cooperation of Ghent University with the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse (INPT). "The research in Toulouse first focussed on the development of an efficient extraction process using a high-tech extruder press", explains professor Stevens. This new process enables both the extraction of a high-quality oil and the valorization of side-products from the residual dry coriander cake. Applications in the building sector, such as insulation material, are currently under evaluation. Professor Stevens: "In a bio-based economy, it is the aim to use natural resources as much as possible. This aspect is unavoidable in the current sustainability policy." This project on the valorization of coriander oil drew the attention of the South-French Ovalie Innovation, and R&D branch of the  industry groups Maïsadour and Vivadour. As an industrial project partner, Ovalie Innovation aims to commercialize the coriander oil. The company also engages in the creation of an industrial production platform for the extraction process.

Info

Prof. Chris Stevens
Faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen, Universiteit Gent
T +32 9 264 59 57
chris.stevens@ugent.be

Evelien Uitterhaegen
Faculteit Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen, Universiteit Gent
T +32 9 264 58 60
evelien.uitterhaegen@ugent.be