Dacsa Group Partner in REFUCOAT Project

Extending the life of food products is one of the challenges of the agri-food sector. For this purpose, modified atmosphere processes are currently used in the case of meats and fresh foods, as well as containers that include multi-layer structures with metallic materials for snacks. The result of all this are products made from non-renewable sources that are very complex to recycle.

In order to achieve environmentally sustainable packaging that allows food to be kept in optimal conditions for longer, Dacsa Group participates in the REFUCOAT project. Through the investigations that will be carried out in the project, an innovative material based on biopolymers and water and oxygen barrier coatings will be developed, which will replace those currently used in the packaging of food in the form of films and trays.

Specifically, polyglycolic acid (PGA) is to be combined with modified silica oxide to formulate a hybrid coating that exhibits barrier properties to oxygen and water vapor. On the other hand, a new PHA grade will be developed based on corn residues, which present better water vapor barrier values, than commercial grades. These developments are going to combine to produce recyclable containers for chicken, cereals and snacks.

A total of 12 partners from five countries participate in the REFUCOAT project and is funded by the European Union through the H2020-BBI-JTI-2016 program with grant number 74591.