Scaling Food-Grade MFC for Safe and Sustainable Produce Packaging
Vireo Advisors, LLC and partners have received funding to advance the commercialization of a microfibrillated cellulose-based sustainable packaging solution to replace single-use plastic packaging for specialty crops in key global markets. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service’s (USDA FAS) Sustainable Packaging Innovation Lab (SPIL), launched through the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) Initiative and implemented by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), Clemson University, and the Foundation for Fresh Produce (FFP).
With CapaTec, Inc. and the University of Maine (UMaine) Process Development Center, Vireo is advancing the commercialization of novel edible coatings composed of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC). These coatings will extend the shelf life and quality of fruits and vegetables during storage by slowing moisture and gas exchange. They are biodegradable, nontoxic, nonallergenic, and produced from cellulose–an abundant and renewable material naturally found in plants. MFC has already been authorized for use in food contact applications (FCN 2413), such as in coatings applied to produce with inedible peels.
With this funding, the project team will establish the first food-grade, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compliant pilot-scale MFC production process and conduct a safety study to bring MFC closer to achieving FDA Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) designation, which serves as a keystone approval for many US export markets. We will refine current manufacturing processes, implement safety measures, generate food-grade MFC for use in commercial trials, and complete a final safety study to understand how MFC is processed in the body through an Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion (ADME) study. This will increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) from 6 to 7–moving from prototype to demonstration in a real-world setting and advance the commercialization of MFC for food contact and food additive (edible) applications worldwide. Ultimately, this project will advance safety and sustainability of fruit coatings as a viable alternative to plastic.