You may have heard how BPA (Bisphenol A) in some food packaging plastics has been linked to various health issues. Scientists are therefore developing more harmless alternatives, made from tomato waste that would otherwise be discarded.
In recent years, research has suggested that BPA consumption may lead to problems such as heart disease, infertility, diabetes, and developmental disabilities in children. As a result, we’ve started seeing products such as water bottles advertised as “BPA free.”
That said, this compound is still widely used in plastic coatings applied to the inside of metal food packaging such as cans. It also prevents food from sticking to the inside of the container.
Building on previous research, an international team led by researchers from Spain’s La Mayora Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticultural Institute and Seville’s Institute of Materials Science focused on a type of agricultural waste known as tomato pomace.
This material usually consists of tomato skins, seeds and stems, left over after processing the fruit for use in foods such as sauces and juices. It is burned or, at best, composted. Although it does not have much nutritional value, it can also be used as animal feed.
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The scientists started by drying the tomato pomace. First in the sun he dried for 3 days, then in an oven at 60ºC (140ºF) he dried for 16 hours before being ground into a powder. The powder was then mixed with sodium hydroxide solution and at 100ºC (212ºF) he heated for four hours. After repeatedly filtering that solution to remove the sodium hydroxide, the researchers left behind waxy compounds known as lipids.
The lipid was then mixed into an ethyl alcohol solution and sprayed onto samples of aluminum, tin-free steel, and tin-coated steel. When the spray dries and the sample is heated in an oven at 200 ºC (392 ºF) for 10-60 minutes, a polymeric lacquer coating is obtained which has proven to be very effective in protecting the underlying metal. was given.
It is particularly compatible with aluminum and did not oxidize even after being immersed in salt water for 170 hours. The lacquer was also highly hydrophobic (water repellent), adhered well to metal and did not leach into water over time.
Scientists now plan to test the coating on real cans containing various foods. “We sterilized and put foods that are normally sold in cans, such as tomato sauce and tuna, into cans to see if they could withstand real-world conditions,” said Alejandro Heredia of La Mayora. increase.
This study is described in a recently published paper. journal of cleaner production.
Source: Discover Foundation
