According to foreign media reports, food storage bags such as polyethylene are often difficult to clean and recycle, and they are basically discarded into landfills. Now led by Paulius Pavelas Danilovas, scientists at the Kaunas University of Technology (KUT) in Lithuania have developed a new biodegradable food storage bag. Compared with ordinary fresh-keeping bags, this new type of fresh-keeping bag can make food preservation time longer.
The fresh-keeping bag is made of a cellulose composite material mainly extracted from plants, and the new material also includes clove essential oil and silver nanoparticles. The former provides antioxidant activity to the fresh-keeping bag by combining free radicals, which increases the bacteriostatic action by sterilization. Surprisingly, scientists have found that adding silver nanoparticles makes the bags more flexible.
According to the researchers, the fresh-keeping bag can be decomposed after being discarded, and the time of complete decomposition is no more than two years. The university is currently studying how to commercialize this technology.
Previously, other research institutes have successfully developed biodegradable food storage bags using grape seed extract, oregano essential oil and protein in milk.