Plastic takes more than 100 years to biodegrade, which is about 600 times longer than it takes for an apple core or a light piece of cardboard to dissolve into natural surroundings. The negative impact of plastic on the environment is well known, and it was for this reason that chemist Dr. Paula Zapata decided to develop a biodegradable polymeric film for use in the fruit industry.

"Polymers generally take more than 100 years to biodegrade and they create great socioeconomic and environmental damage, so...why not make a film that can degrade in environmental conditions and that apart from that, serves a function of transport for packing different materials?" Zapata told www.freshfruitportal.com.

Zapata said 90% of the project was financed by the Chilean Agriculture Ministry's Agricultural Innovation Fund (FIA), and undertaken at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile (Usach). Meanwhile, 10% of the funding is given by local company BO Packaging S.A., which carries out "processing improvements".

She highlighted the product would serve two purposes, preventing outside bacteria, fungi or other threats from accessing the fruit, and making sure the process is environmentally-friendly once the film has been used.

"The film is made with a plastic with natural additives, and it has many benefits," Zapata said.

"First it will be used to pack fruit, which would mean that all the losses Chile makes in transporting fruit would be reduced. Sometimes, 10% is lost in international transport, especially for blueberries and grapes that are fruits that are very sensitive to environmental conditions.

"So, what will happen is that the food that is covered by this film will last longer during transport, and additionally, once the life cycle is complete it [the plastic] will degrade in the environment."

She added the cost of the film would not be much higher than the common polyethylene plastic that is currently in the market.

"If anything it will increase 5%, but no more than that. We'll try to keep the cost down."

Expectations are that the product will be ready for commercialization within two years, and one of the team's objectives is that the FIA does not just apply the biodegradable film to fruits, but also to vegetables and within the health sector.

"Obviously, it could be used in a large amount of fields," Zapata said.

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