To combat single-use plastic items, this food packaging upgrade is studied and formulated to result in a disposable tray design. This is made using sustainable biosourced low-cost materials and used a method of hot pressing it all together to create the traps.
It is made rom brewer's spent grain, which is a leftover byproduct of the beer industry blended together with potato starch. The reference design point referred to EPS, which is expanded polystyrene trays to experiment with sizing and flexural strength. It also depends on the amount of water content used in the mixture, as well as variables such as density, pressing apparatus, and pressing temperature. The spent grains are dried in an oven prior until it reaches a solid content measuring to be around 97%.
Biosourced Grain Disposable Trays
Food Packaging is Elevated with Spent Grain and Potato Starch
Trend Themes
1. Sustainable Food Packaging - The use of biosourced materials in food packaging presents opportunities for sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic.
2. Circular Economy in Packaging - The repurposing of brewery byproducts into packaging materials showcases the potential for a circular economy in the food and beverage industry.
3. Innovative Manufacturing Techniques - The hot pressing method utilized to create the disposable trays highlights the potential for innovative manufacturing techniques in the packaging industry.
Industry Implications
1. Food and Beverage - The food and beverage industry can explore the adoption of biosourced packaging materials to reduce environmental impact.
2. Packaging - The packaging industry can leverage circular economy principles by utilizing byproducts from other industries as raw materials.
3. Manufacturing - The manufacturing industry can embrace innovative techniques like hot pressing to develop more sustainable and cost-effective packaging solutions.