Film of the Future - Producing an antiviral, antimicrobial, biodegradable plastic from seaweed

消费者越来越关注塑料污染对环境的影响，这是一种趋势。政府正在推动对根除一次性塑料的投资，媒体的注意力集中在这种材料的替代品上1，2。我们还面临着20203宣布的全球大流行新冠肺炎。这种病毒可以在塑料包装材料上存活，并传播给消费者。食品供应链中的关键部门依靠塑料包装来确保食品安全和质量。例如，Samworth Brothers(SB)在品牌和自有品牌市场上生产预制食品(如三明治、即食餐和零食)，并热衷于为消费者提供更环保的包装解决方案，不仅可以取代塑料包装，而且还具有更多的抗菌和抗病毒好处。从海藻衍生物藻酸盐中生产的完全可堆肥薄膜于1949年首次获得专利，采用了一种涉及CaCl2和HCl4的具有成本效益的工艺。这些薄膜可以用化合物增强，以提供抗病毒和抗微生物特性，如褐藻糖胶、间苯三酚和海带多糖，也存在于棕色海草5，6。我们假设可以生产完全可堆肥的非塑料薄膜，含有具有抗菌和抗病毒特性的海藻提取物，最大限度地减少通过食品接触材料传播疾病的风险；保持食品的质量和安全；以及减少当前包装解决方案对环境的影响。目的：从褐藻中提取岩藻糖胶和间苯三酚形成的底物产生和优良性质分析(AU)。将开发一种工业可扩展的提取方法，使不同分子量的提取能够在整个提取液之外进行分段分离。每个提取物的抗菌性能将在体外试验中使用标准需氧测试菌株(金黄色葡萄球菌、铜绿假单胞菌、大肠杆菌、沙门氏菌肠杆菌亚种)进行测试。肠杆菌、白色念珠菌)。将使用病毒P100、MS2和Phi6(无包膜DNA病毒的模型)来检测抗病毒特性；分别为非包膜RNA病毒和包膜RNA病毒2：现有和未来的包装解决方案研究(SB)研究(SB)研究现有的包装工艺，以更好地了解其中的关键参数：已准备好的食品包装生产、供应链、质量控制和包装处理过程。3：膜生产(AU)膜将由市面上可买到的海藻酸盐和目标1生成的产品以及针对目标2中确定的问题的具有互补性质的其他化合物生成。将根据目标1.4：膜特性分析(CU)对从目标3选择的膜进行物理特性(例如，气体渗透性、灵活性、稳定性)。将模拟真实世界的供应链条件，以了解食品在质量和安全方面对新型包装材料的反应。5：包装生产试验(AU/CU/SB)将生产同时具有良好包装性能以及抗菌和抗病毒性能的薄膜(AU)，产生足以包括在包装试验(SB)中的材料。将在整个过程中采集薄膜样本进行物理性能分析(CU)和抗菌和抗病毒性能分析(AU)。公正：消费者对抗病毒和抗菌包装的需求预计将在未来很高，特别是那些可生物降解的包装。生产符合这些要求的可行的海藻衍生薄膜将为工业界和科学界产生极具影响力的数据。

The increasing consumer concern about the impact of plastic pollution on the environment is neatly on trend. The government is promoting investment towards single-use plastic eradication and media attention is focused on alternatives to this material1,2. We are also facing COVID-19, declared global pandemic in 20203. This virus can survive on plastic packaging materials, and be transmitted to the consumer. Key sectors within the food supply chain rely on plastic packaging to ensure the food safety and quality. For example, Samworth Brothers (SB) produce prepared food products (e.g. sandwiches, ready meals, snacks) across the branded and 'own label' market and are keen to offer their consumers a more environmentally responsible packaging solution that could not only replace plastic packaging but also have further antibacterial and antiviral benefits.Fully compostable films produced from the seaweed derivative alginate were first patented in 1949 using a cost-effective process involving CaCl2 and HCl4. These films can be enhanced with compounds to provide antiviral and antimicrobial properties like fucoidan, phloroglucinol and laminarin, also present in brown seaweeds5,6. We hypothesise that fully compostable non-plastic films can be produced containing extracts from seaweeds with antibacterial and antiviral properties, minimising the risk of disease transmission through food contact materials; maintaining quality and safety of food products; and reducing the environmental impact of current packaging solutions. Objectives 1: Substrate generation and desirable property analysis (AU) Extracts formed of fucoidan and phloroglucinols will be extracted from brown seaweed species (Laminaria digitata, Laminaria hyperborea, Saccharina latissima, Fucus vesiculosus, Fucus serratus, Ascophyllum nodosum). An industrially scalable extraction method will be developed to enable fractional separation of different molecular weights in addition to whole extracts. The antibacterial properties of each extract will be tested in in vitro trials using standard aerobic test strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, Candida albicans). Antiviral properties will be examined 7 using viruses P100, MS2 and Phi6, models for non-enveloped DNA viruses; non-enveloped RNA viruses and enveloped RNA viruses respectively.2: Existing and future packaging solution study (SB)Placement to study existing packaging processes to better understand what the key parameters are within: prepared food packaging production, supply chain, quality control, and the packaging disposal process.3: Film production (AU)Films will be generated from commercially available alginate with products generated from Objective 1 and additional compounds with complementary properties addressing issues identified in Objective 2. Films will be screened for antibacterial and antiviral properties as per Objective 1.4: Film property analysis (CU)Selected films from Objective 3 will be characterised in terms of physical properties (e.g. gas permeability, flexibility, stability). Real-world supply chain conditions will be simulated to understand the response of food to novel packaging materials in terms of quality and safety. 5: Packaging production trial (AU/CU/SB)Films identified with both positive packaging properties and antibacterial and antiviral qualities will be produced (AU), generating material sufficient for inclusion in a packaging trial (SB). Film samples will be taken throughout the process for physical property analysis (CU) and antimicrobial and antiviral property analysis (AU).Justification: Consumer demand for antiviral and antimicrobial packaging, especially those which are biodegradable, is anticipated to be high in future. The production of a viable seaweed-derived film fitting these requirements will generate highly impactful data for both industry and scientific communities