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。政府正在促进对一次性塑料根除的投资，媒体的注意力集中在这种材料的替代品上。我们亦面对于二零二零年宣布为全球大流行的COVID-19。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）生产预制食品，（例如三明治、即食食品、小吃）在品牌和“自有品牌”市场上，他们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，而且还具有进一步的抗菌和抗病毒功效。1949年，海藻衍生物藻酸盐生产的完全可堆肥薄膜首次获得专利使用一种涉及CaCl 2和HCl 4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，如岩藻依聚糖、间苯三酚和海带多糖，也存在于棕色海藻中5，6。我们假设，可以生产完全可堆肥的非塑料薄膜，其中含有具有抗菌和抗病毒特性的海藻提取物，最大限度地降低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性;并减少当前包装解决方案对环境的影响。目标1：底物生成和理想性质分析（Au）将从褐藻物种（指状海带、北方海带、宽叶海带、墨角藻、锯墨角藻、结节性海苔）中提取由岩藻依聚糖和间苯三酚形成的提取物。将开发一种工业规模的提取方法，以实现除全提取物外的不同分子量的分级分离。将在体外试验中使用标准需氧试验菌株（金黄色葡萄球菌、铜绿假单胞菌、大肠埃希菌、肠道沙门氏菌亚种）测试每种浸提液的抗菌性能。肠念珠菌（Candida albicans）。将使用病毒P100、MS 2和Phi 6（分别为无包膜DNA病毒、无包膜RNA病毒和包膜RNA病毒的模型）检查抗病毒特性。2：现有和未来包装溶液研究（SB）放置研究现有包装工艺，以更好地了解关键参数：准备食品包装生产，供应链，质量控制，和包装处置过程。3：电影制作（Au）膜将由市售藻酸盐与目标1产生的产物和具有互补性质的其他化合物产生解决目标2中确定的问题。将根据目标1.4筛选薄膜的抗菌和抗病毒特性：薄膜特性分析（CU）将根据物理特性（例如透气性、柔韧性、稳定性）对目标3中选定的薄膜进行表征。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。第五节：包装生产试验（Au/CU/SB）将生产（Au）经鉴定具有阳性包装特性以及抗菌和抗病毒质量的薄膜，从而产生足以纳入包装试验（SB）的材料。薄膜样品将在整个过程中进行物理性能分析（CU）和抗菌和抗病毒性能分析（Au）。理由：消费者对抗病毒和抗微生物包装的需求，特别是那些可生物降解的，预计在未来会很高。生产符合这些要求的可行的海藻衍生膜将为工业和科学界产生非常有影响力的数据

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