In the global food market, conventional plastic packaging is often not biodegradable and thus poses a serious threat to the environment. To address this problem, bioplastic materials are developed as a green alternative since they are made from biodegradable polymer or biopolymers. Hemp has been cultivated for centuries as the sources of oilseeds, fiber products and herbal medicines. The hemp stalks are treated as green wastes, which are rich in cellulose fibers that can be further processed to produce a value-added product known as nanocellulose. Nanocellulose is a biodegradable and renewable biomaterial, which has great potential to be incorporated into bioplastic packaging materials to enhance their physical and functional properties. Two types of nanocellulose can be extracted from hemp stalks, which are cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). CNCs can be obtained through sulphuric acid hydrolysis while CNFs are often extracted through TEMPO-mediated oxidation of cellulose fibers. Currently, the demand for antimicrobial food packaging is rising in the meat industry. N-halamine antimicrobial surface modification added to bioplastic materials has the potential to reduce meat contamination, which benefits both consumers and producers. We aim to utilize hemp stalk to prepare nanocellulose, develop antimicrobial hemp nanocellulose-based bioplastic packaging, and finally apply the antimicrobial packaging to modulate meat microbiome for shelf-life extension. CNCs and CNFs could be successfully extracted from hemp stalk and were exhibited in suspension or slurry forms. In addition, the hemp-based nanocellulose could be incorporated with bioplastic materials such as poly(vinyl alcohol) to form reinforced packaging films. The outcomes of this study are expected to help transfer hemp waste to value-added products and provide biodegradable food packaging options with enhanced safety to the food industry.

Development of hemp nanocellulose based-bioplastic packaging to modulate meat microbiome and shelf life

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ACS Fall 2022

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