A team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, US, has developed a ‘smart’ food packaging material that is biodegradable, sustainable and kills microbes that are harmful to humans. It could also extend the shelf-life of fresh fruit by two to three days.
The water-proof food packaging is made from a type of corn protein called zein, starch and other naturally derived biopolymers, infused with a cocktail of natural antimicrobial compounds (see video). These include oil from thyme, a common herb used in cooking, and citric acid, which is commonly…
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Category: Cooking Material
There’s a better end for used food than taking up space in landfills and contributing to global warming.
Beneficial bacteria flourish in citrus growing systems treated with fermented waste by-products. (Deborah Pagliaccia/UCR)
UC Riverside scientists have discovered fermented food waste can boost bacteria that increase crop growth, making plants more resistant to pathogens and reducing carbon emissions from farming.
“Beneficial microbes increased dramatically when we added fermented food waste to plant growing systems,” said UCR microbiologist Deborah Pagliaccia, who led the research. “When there are enough of these good bacteria, they produce antimicrobial compounds and metabolites that help plants grow…
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New York, March 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The global food packaging market was valued at around USD 358.3 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach approximately USD 592.8 billion in 2032, growing at a CAGR of slightly above 5.3% between 2023 and 2032. People are adopting healthier lifestyles and consuming more convenience foods. Thus the demand for these items is increasing. The industry will benefit from convenience and high-performance materials which increase efficiency in preventing contamination and longer shelf lives. Growth will be seen due to factors like disposable income, shrinking households, and an expanding population.
Get additional…
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Benedetto Marelli, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at MIT, was a postdoc at Tufts University’s Omenetto Lab when he stumbled upon a novel use for silk. Preparing for a lab-wide cooking competition whose one requirement was to incorporate silk into each dish, Marelli accidentally left a silk-dipped strawberry on his bench: “I came back almost a week later, and the strawberries that were coated were still edible. The ones that weren’t coated with silk were completely spoiled.” Marelli, whose previous research focused on the biomedical applications of silk, was stunned. “That opened up a new world for me,”…
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Country Living explore which tea bag brands are plastic-free, recyclable and biodegradable, from supermarket own brand tea bags to the main tea brands sold across the UK. Luckily, there are a number of plastic-free tea bags…
Drinking tea is a very British tradition – so much so that we consume 60.2 billion cups of tea each year, according to the UK Tea and Infusions Association. And most of us tea-drinkers choose tea bags rather than tea leaves – 96% in fact.
But are you aware that some tea bags contain plastic? Several tea bag brands use polypropylene, a sealing plastic,…
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November 9, 2023November 9, 2023
Thanksgiving is a great time to enjoy some food, watch some football and get a head start on your holiday shopping. But did you know that Thanksgiving is also the leading day of the year for home fires involving cooking equipment? Follow these tips to keep you and your family safe during Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings:
Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop so you can keep an eye on the food.
Stay at home when cooking your turkey and check on it frequently.
Keep children away from the…
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There is global interest in the impact of plastic waste in seas and waterways on natural habitats and wildlife. EFSA has taken a first step towards a future assessment of the potential risks to consumers from microplastics and nanoplastics in food, especially seafood.
What does EFSA say in its Statement?
Peter Hollman: EFSA has comprehensively reviewed existing literature on this topic and found there is insufficient data on the occurrence The fact or frequency of something (eg a disease or deficiency in a population) happening.toxicity The potential of a substance to cause harm to a living organism. and fate –…
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We are delighted to announce two new hires for NYT Cooking.
Alexa Weibel will join The Times as a senior staff editor. Lex comes to us from the magazine Every Day With Rachael Ray, where she was a senior food editor, writing and editing stories, assigning and developing recipes, working closely with the test kitchen, and producing material about cooking for the magazine’s social media channels. She has also been a cookbook editor, a copy editor, a restaurant critic, a music critic and, on weekends, worked as a line cook at the restaurant Diner in Brooklyn. She holds degrees from…
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