Nathalie Gontard

French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) | INRAE

The need of sustainable food packaging preserving food from degradation conducted to increase research on active packaging using essential oil, as carvacrol, for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The encapsulation of this kind of volatile molecules is necessary and nanoencapsulation into biopolymers, as poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hyd...

When polymers are coated on the surface of cardboards, they inevitably penetrate through the cardboard pores, resulting in a complex three-layer structure consisting of a free polymer layer, an impregnated layer, and a free cardboard layer. In this article, two quantitative, representative, and reliable methods are proposed to determine the thickne...

Coated cardboards are emerging as alternatives to plastics in the field of food packaging. Cardboard is a cellulose-based porous material, with very poor barriers to gases and water vapor, which are often required for primary packaging materials and food protection. One method to improve its performance is to coat one or more layers of barrier poly...

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate (P(3HB-co-3HV) copolymers are an attractive class of biopolymers whose properties can be tailored by changing the 3-hydroxyvalerate monomer (3HV) concentration, offering the possibility of counteracting problems related to high crystallinity, brittleness, and processability. However, there are few studies...

After revolutionizing everyday life in all sectors, including food packaging, providential plastic has turned into a time bomb, with harmful long-term effects of plastic waste. By setting up a research strategy simultaneously focusing on resources, usage and post-usage aspects of alternative packaging materials and technologies, advances are expect...

Coated papers have emerged as alternatives to petroleum-based and non-biodegradable plastics, particularly in packaging industries. Indeed, barriers brought by the coating layer, toward oxygen for example, allow better food preservation. This growing interest in the field of packaging has led to the need to characterize the mass transfer properties...

Recycled plastic materials can only be placed in the market if they are free from contaminants at harmful levels. This work studies the thermal decontamination of poly(hydroxybutyrate‐co‐valerate) (PHBV) intended for food contact. PHBV was first contaminated with gallic acid, catechin, ferulic acid, and PEG 200, at 500 mg/kg. Thermal decontaminatio...

Biorefinery was used to transform two organic wastes, i.e. urban park & garden green waste and porcine plasma (PPP), into raw materials for biocomposite production. The effect of the nature, size and content of the filler on the final performance of biocomposites was assessed. Two fractions stemming from an urban park and garden green waste, i.e. a...

This literature review provides a focus on the potential of integrating the latest scientific and technological advances in the biological field to improve the status of the key steps of a food packaging life cycle: production, usage, post-usage, and long-term fate. A case study of such multi-biological food packaging is demonstrated based on the u...

Reconstruction of three-dimensional (3D) structure from experimental image acquisition (e.g., from micro computed tomography data) is very useful in composite material science. Composite considered are characterized by a dispersion of particles in a continuous phase. Many properties of the composite (e.g., mass transfer properties) depend on its st...

The objective of this work was to propose an environmental scoring tool for food packaging based on the assessment of three key pillars of packaging sustainability: Materials, Functionality and Post‐Usage fate. A participatory process involving relevant food‐packaging experts and end users was applied to define the relevant criteria for each pillar...

A 3D tri-phasic numerical model was developed to predict water vapor permeability in composite materials made of polypropylene (PP) as matrix and cellulose particles as fillers, with existence of an interphase around permeable inclusions. About 70 tri-phasic structures composed of ellipsoidal, heterogenous-size particles were generated to represent...

Compounds of plant origin are used in biodegradable polymers as stabilizers and functional additives. However, these substances often have a biological activity (antimicrobial) that can affect the biodegradability of these polymers. The objective of this work is to study the effect of two polyphenols, quercetin and gallic acid on the biodegradabili...

Le choix d’un emballage nécessite d’identifier au préalable les propriétés fonctionnelles clefs répondant au mieux aux besoins de l’aliment. Parmi ces propriétés clefs, les propriétés de transferts du matériau (perméation des gaz et vapeurs, ...) sont essentielles pour l’optimisation de la conservation du produit. Leur identification est loin d’êtr...

This study aims to examine, through stakeholders consultation, the widely used definitions of four terms related to plastics sustainability: ‘bio-based plastics', ‘bioplastics’, ‘biodegradable plastics’ and ‘plastics recycling’ and to mitigate their potential ambiguity for diverse scientific communities and sectors of activity. For the three terms...

According to the great potential of zero-valent iron nanoparticle applications in the environmental, medical, chemical, packaging and many other industries, there is still a need to tailor their production methods. This study reports the production of a hybrid nanostructure based on iron nanoparticles (INPs) produced in/on montmorillonite (MMT) nan...

Up to now, recycling has been opposed to biodegradability, although these two end-of-life options are complementary. If combined in an integrated system, recycling creates an after-use economy, while biodegradability eradicates definitely the issues of environmental spreading of the persistent plastic wastes. This paper reviews the current state on...

As they cannot massively accumulate in our eco-system, biodegradable polymers represent one of the solutions to mitigate plastic pollution. Meanwhile their ability to be recirculated before being biodegraded is important to maximize their economic value. Like all other polymers, their ability to be recycled and reused is highly dependent of their t...

PHAs are polyesters synthesized by micro-organisms as an energy reserve from renewable, and possibly non-food, feedstock. They are non-toxic, biocompatible and quickly biodegradable in different natural environments, ensuring not to pollute and jeopardize our ecosystems unlike conventional plastics. They are good candidates to replace conventional...

There is a considerable knowledge gap regarding the long-term fate of plastics in the environment. Acknowledging this gap, in the context of life cycle assessment methods, is critical to account for the long-term fate of plastics in the decision-making process. Ignoring the long-term potential for environmental and health damage from plastic partic...

In order to lengthen the life cycle of packaging materials, it is essential to study their potential for reuse. This has been never carried out for emerging bio-based and biodegradable materials such as PHBV/(ligno-)cellulosic fibre-based biocomposite materials. This work therefore highlights the impact of successive dishwashing cycles on the physi...

By mimicking the cutin natural polyester networks of plant cuticles, we produced hydrophobic elastomers by a sustainable process, i.e., using a catalyst- and solvent-free polycondensation of glycerol and hydroxy fatty acids, two by-products of the agro-food industry. The hydroxy fatty acid fraction was obtained by ethanolic alkaline hydrolysis of c...

A three-dimensional model structure that allows considering interphase layer around permeable inclusions is developed to predict water vapor permeability in composite materials made of a matrix Poly(3-HydroxyButyrate-co-3-HydroxyValerate) (PHBV) including Wheat Straw Fiber (WSF) particles. About 500 two-phase structures corresponding to composites...

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to address the environmental benefit of using Equilibrium Modified Atmosphere Packaging (EMAP) at ambient temperature as an alternative to the use of conventional macro perforated packaging (MPP) and refrigeration in the strawberries’ farm to fork system. In this purpose, the environmental impact of strawberries...

The residual biomass of cold-pressed green coffee oil (GCO), rich in chlorogenic acids (CGA), was reused by incorporating the press cake (CE) and sediment (SE) extracts into carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) films. The effect of these extracts combined with GCO was investigated on the physicochemical, barrier, and antioxidant properties, and on the abi...

Packaging play a key role on food quality preservation and shelf-life increase. Even if the link between shelf life and food loss has not yet clearly been formalized, it is generally observed that a well-designed packaging contributes to reduce food loss and waste and thus the corresponding useless negative impact that producing and distributing un...

Purpose The objective of the present study was to better understand the potential environmental benefit of using vine shoots (ViShs), an agricultural residue, as filler in composite materials. For that purpose, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of a rigid tray made of virgin poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) PHBV, polylactic acid...

This paper aims at investigating the potential of vine shoots (ViSh) upcycling as fillers in novel poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) based biocomposites. ViSh particles of around 50 µm (apparent median diameter) were obtained combining dry grinding processes, and mixed with PHBV using melt extrusion. Thermal stability and elongation...

Urban parks and gardens green waste constitute a low-cost and highly available lignocellulosic-rich resource, that is currently treated in composting or anaerobic digestion processes. The present work investigated for the first time the potential of using urban green waste as raw resource for the production of lignocellulosic fillers by dry fractiona...

The flourishing market of nanocomposite food packaging has raised concerns about the safety of these materials. While several works on this issue have been published in recent years, they main focus in these studies was found to be on the possible migration of the nanoparticle its constituents. However, thorough safety evaluation of these materials...

Two winery residues, namely vine shoots (ViSh) and wine pomace (WiPo), were up-cycled as fillers in PHBV-based biocomposites. Answering a biorefinery approach, the impact of a preliminary polyphenols extraction step using an acetone/water mixture on the reinforcing effect of fillers was assessed. Biocomposites (filler content up to 20 wt%) were pre...

div>By mimicking the cutin natural polyester networks of plant cuticles, we produced hydrophobic elastomers by a sustainable process, i.e., using a catalyst- and solvent-free polycondensation of glycerol and hydroxy fatty acids, two by-products of the agro-food industry. The hydroxy-fatty acid fraction was obtained by alkaline hydrolysis in ethanol...

MAP can maintain the storage life of products and thereby reduce food losses. However, the benefits of MAP for reducing losses is not well quantified, especially in relation with practices in the postharvest chain. This paper proposes an innovative approach, at the intersection between the domains of food engineering, social sciences and humanities...

Although PE-based nanocomposites are gaining interest within the food packaging industry for their outstanding functional properties, their end-of-life has been poorly studied. The lack of identification of such materials suggests that they could end-up in the recycling pathway optimized for the decontamination of un-filled PE. The objective of the...

This aricle aims at investigating for the first time the ability of using poly(3‐hydroxylbutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)/wheat straw fibers (WSF) biocomposites as food contact materials for packaging applications. For that purpose, the impact of the filler size and content on overall migration and mechanical properties was assessed under stan...

Nanocomposite materials based on bio-polyesters (PBSA and PHBV) have been evaluated for their suitability for food contact according to the recommendations defined for non-biodegradable plastic materials, and subsequently, according to accelerated aging treatment. On the basis of the limited number of material/migrant/food simulant combinations stu...

Vine shoots are lignocellulosic agricultural residues. In addition to being an interesting source of polyphenols, they can be used as fillers in a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) matrix to decrease the overall cost and to propose an alternative to non-biodegradable fossil-based materials. The objective of the present work was to in...

This study aims at developing a reliable and simple-to-implement methodology for the estimation of apparent water vapor diffusivity at the scale of micrometric size cellulose particles based on gravimetric measurements. The water vapor apparent diffusivity value was evaluated by using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) on a cellulose sample of 1 µ...

In face of growing environmental concerns, biodegradable and bio-sourced plastic nanocomposites are emerging as a new class of materials, especially for the food packaging sector. However, their use in food contact raises new issues in term of consumer safety. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of nanoclays on the apparent diffusion...

Iron particles of sizes between 6 and 20 nm forming aggregates of 57 ± 17 nm were synthesized by chemical reduction of iron precursors on the surface of montmorillonite (MMT). This active MMT-Fe powder was then uniformly distributed in a linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) matrix by extrusion at atmospheric conditions, as confirmed by wide-angl...

The gas (O 2 and CO 2 ) permeability of an innovative stratified PE-organoclay (LLDPE/OMMT) nano-enabled composite films was studied for the first time and related to the self-assembly process driven by hydrophobic interactions. An 84.4% and a 70% reduction (i.e. a barrier improvement factor of about 6, sufficient for food packaging applications) w...

In order to lift the barrier of a poor interfacial interaction between cellulosic plant fibers and polymeric matrices in biocomposites, an eco-friendly surface modification of fibers was explored. A solvent-free gas-phase esterification applied to cellulose particles allowed to graft palmitoyl moieties on their surface in order to make them more co...

Materials that are both biodegradable and bio-sourced are becoming serious candidates for substituting traditional petro-sourced plastics that accumulate in natural systems. New biocomposites have been produced by melt extrusion, using bacterial polyester (poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)) as a matrix and cellulose particles as fillers....

Packaging is an essential element of response to address key challenges of sustainable food consumption on the international scene, which is clearly about minimizing the environmental footprint of packed food. An innovative sustainable packaging aims to address food waste and loss reduction by preserving food quality, as well as food safety issues...

Current requests in the field of food packaging lead to the reasoned design of materials able to improve the global environmental balance of the food/packaging system by minimizing the negative environmental impact of the packaging material while improving its positive role in the food wastes and losses reduction that strongly impact our environmen...

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is commonly used for packing fruits and relies on the natural interplay between the produce physiology (consumption or production of gases and vapours) and the mass transfer properties of the packaging material (gases and vapours permeation values), with possible gas flushing, in order to reach optimal conditions...

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process RecyPET Hungária (EU register number RECYC0146). The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, containing no more than 5% of PET from...

Three lignocellulosic fractions with contrasted properties were produced by dry fractionation of olive pomace (OP): a stone-rich fraction (SF) rich in cellulose and having high polarity, a pulp-rich fraction (PF) richer in lignin and less polar, and a crude pomace fraction (CF) with intermediate properties. These fractions were used as fillers in t...

Iron nanoparticles supported on montmorillonite (MMT-Fe) were synthesized via the reduction by sodium borohydride of iron salts dissolved in a suspension of MMT. The MMT-Fe black powder collected after the evaporation of the solvent was analysed by Transmission Electron Microscopy, which revealed the formation of aggregates of metallic nanoparticle...

Agricultural waste is a huge pool of untapped biomass resources that may even represent economic and environmental burdens. They can be converted into bioenergy and bio-based products by cascading conversion processes, within circular economy, and should be considered residual resources. Major challenges are discussed from a transdisciplinary persp...

Abstract Fresh fruit and vegetable’s short shelf life is one of the main obstacle to their consumption leading to considerable food losses and wastes during the post-harvest steps. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is able to significantly increase their shelf life. The objective of this work is to quantify the gain of shelf life obtained under M...

Abstract This scientific opinion of the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF Panel) deals with the safety evaluation of the recycling process General Plastic (EU register No RECYC153), which is based on the Starlinger Decon technology. The decontamination efficiency of the process was demonstrated by a...

This scientific opinion of the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids deals with the safety evaluation of the recycling process Gneuss 1 (EU register No RECYC0143). The input is washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, containing no mo...

This scientific opinion of the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids deals with the safety evaluation of the recycling process Gneuss 2 (EU register No RECYC0144). The input is washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes originating from collected post-consumer PET containers, containing no mo...

Evaluating the quality changes of packed strawberries during storage requires multiple, time consuming and costly measurements such as sensorial, chemical and decay identification. In order to efficiently assess the quality of strawberries in Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) while reducing the number of analysis done, we propose to gather the ma...

This scientific opinion of the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF Panel) deals with the safety assessment of the Linpac recycling process (EU register number RECYC0148), which is based on the Linpac super clean technology. The input to this process is hot washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate)...

More than 1000 published experimental data of gas (O2 and CO2) and vapor (H2O) permeability in nanocomposites containing either spherical, elongated or platelet particles were collected, assorted and compared in order to decipher the role of particle shape on the reduction of the relative permeability of the nanocomposite. It is well known that inc...

Three black biodegradable films based on PBAT-blends (PBAT/PLA, PBAT/PPC and PBAT/Starch) were tested for vine mulching in real field conditions. The impact of field ageing on their morphology, mechanical performance and ultimate biodegradation was investigated on films exposed at the soil surface or buried into the soil in order to assess the resp...

This scientific opinion of the EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF Panel) deals with the safety evaluation of the recycling process BTB PET direct IV+ (EU register number RECYC0152). The input of the process is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes originating from col...