The project BIOVEGE, in which AIMPLAS participates, has resulted in new biodegradable films and nets for horticultural products, food colourants and additives from waste products harvested in the field of Almería.
In Andalusia, around 500,000 tons of fruit and vegetable by-products that cannot be recovered are produced and landfilled.
Using these wastes, the project BIOVEGE has made possible the extraction of substances of high value for the packaging and food industry.
An example of this includes the elements developed from sugars obtained from watermelon and melon. From this, different types of biodegradable films with a thickness of 23 µm can be used as shrink film for the packaging of cucumbers.
Also, biodegradable oriented net for the packaging of different agricultural products, oriented net for garlics and non-oriented net for green beans.
From other waste horticultural products such as tomato and pepper, active substances like vitamins, antioxidants and food colourants have allowed to obtain products such as, meat preparations enriched with an antioxidant capacity of more than 20 per cent with respect to controls.
This is due to the incorporation of pepper by-products and tomato and pepper-flavoured flour enriched with an antioxidant capacity that incorporates lyophilised tomato and pepper by-products in its formulation.
Funded by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) through the ERDF Innterconecta 2015 programme, AIMPLAS has led the technical part of the project, with other research centres participating.
