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August /September 202 2 III MAGAZINE OF MATERIALS THAT DEGRADE VERY QUICKLY OR RECYCLABLE MATERIALS MAY BE A GOOD ALTERNATIVE by Gianluca Donadini We continue talking about packaging with Giorgia Spigno, full professor at the Department of Food Science and Technology for a Sustainable Food Supply Chain at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Piacenza. 46 years old, from Novara, she studies in food technology perfected with a PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Genoa, Giorgia is an expert in food packaging innovation. PROFESSOR SPIGNO, WHAT ARE THE LATEST RESEARCH AREAS IN THE FIELD OF PACKAGING? They are manifold. In the case of sustainable materials we have two strands of research: the development of materials that are actually recyclable; the development of biodegradable and compostable materials whose key to success is to be composted quickly, perhaps in the home composter and not just in an industrial plant. FROM INDUSTRY TO THE BALCONY AT HOME? Yes, in many European countries you can compost on your balcony at home. CAN BIOPLASTICS HELP US IN THIS? Bioplastics is a generic term that can mislead many consumers as well as some insiders. IS BIOPLASTICS A LEXICAL GAMBLE OR, PROFESSOR, IS THERE MUCH MORE TO IT? TELL US ITS SECRETS. A bioplastic is a biodegradable plastic, but the prefix bio- does not automatically indicate a material of natural origin. It is also not necessary for a plastic to be 100% natural to be called a bioplastic. There are plastics of natural origin that are not biodegradable. Do you see the difficulty in understanding the term bioplastic? And of understanding whether bioplastics are more sustainable than conventional plastics? IN TERMS OF MATERIALS, THE IMAGINATION SEEMS TO HAVE NO LIMITS. There are many materials available. Combinations increase the variety exponentially. Think of milk or juice cartons that combine plastic, aluminium and paper. PAPER? There is a comeback for paper: it is 100% natural and 100% recyclable. However, it is hydrophilic and absorbs water. And it is lipophilic and absorbs fat. It must be plasticised to be impermeable in contact with food. The plastic layer is very thin and has little impact on the total weight of the packaging, which remains 100% recyclable. Research must be done on natural coatings that give impermeability. BESIDES PAPER, WHAT DO WE HAVE? Plastic polymers obtained from animal or plant matrices. Starch and chitosan, for example, can be used for packaging, coating or film materials. WHEN I THINK OF STARCH, MAIZE COMES TO MIND. AS IS WELL KNOWN, THE AGRICULTURAL MODEL BASED ON INTENSIVE MONOCULTURES AFFECTS BIODIVERSITY AND IS ONE OF THE MAIN CAUSES OF LAND IMPOVERISHMENT AND DEGRADATION OF THE AGRARIAN LANDSCAPE. WILL WE SEE OUR FOOD RESOURCES REDUCED IN THE NAME OF SUSTAINABILITY? RESOURCES ARE NOT INFINITE This is an issue of concern to many. The available quantitative data show that we are not facing a risk of environmental resource depletion. It is not a problem of resource depletion per se but of using