فصلنامه علوم و فنون بسته بندی
پیاپی 45 (بهار 1400)

The present study seeks to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the desire to buy green packaging. The research is applied in terms of purpose and causal in terms of method. The field data collection method and data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. Field information was collected using a questionnaire of 41 questions from buyers of green products in 1399. The statistical population of this research consists of all buyers of green products (Markazi province) and the size of the statistical sample selected by the available method for customers is 384 people. Data were analyzed using LISREL software and structural equation testing. The results indicate the positive effect of variables (individual norms, environmental concerns and willingness to pay) on the willingness to buy green products and also the negative effect of variables (attitude and perceived behavioral control).

Today, the use of intelligent packaging in various packaging industries has received more attention than ever before. Intelligent packages can contain an indicator or nanosensor that reports the process of quality changing of the packaged product to the consumer in various ways such as color change, voltage change, etc. In this regard, the use of nanoparticles due to their unique and useful properties has improved the performance of nanosensors. For this reason, in the present study, growth of food pathogens, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus, in culture medium was studied using a colorimetric nanosensor made by aminated graphene oxide nanosheet and bromophenol blue indicator based on Whatman paper. The results showed that at the beginning of experiment no colony was observed for L. monocytogenes however, it reached to 189 ± 0.81 colonies after 24 hours (p <0.05).  Growth of S. aureus showed an increasing trend and it reached to 196 ± 4.54 colonies at the end of the incubation period (p <0.05). The number of S. typhimurium coloniesin the culture medium also increased from 0 to 203 ± 5.17 colonies (p <0.05). The results also showed that the color of prepared nanosensors was changed with increasing the number of bacterial colonies, and in this regard the color of the nanosensors was changed from green to blue in all plates. However, the intensity of color difference (ΔE) was different in the presence of different bacteria and the highest ΔE (61.01) was observed in the medium inoculated with S. typhimurium. Correlation between ΔE and increasing the number of L. monocytogenes, S. typhimurium and S. aureus was positive 0.9, positive 0.95 and positive 0.94, respectively.

Cleaner production as a global strategy with methods such as process improvement can reduce raw material consumption, energy, waste, production costs and environmental pollution and increase competitiveness and sustainable industry development. Utilizing cleaner production patterns to reduce consumption of materials, energy, waste and environmental problems can also affect the carton industry in Iran. In this study, effective indicators and criteria for clean production in corrugated box making industries in Iran were determined using the opinions of experts, industry managers and academic researchers and were used in the form of a researcher-made questionnaire to use the hierarchical analysis method. The results of the analysis of questionnaires showed that the process control and product control indices with the highest priority is the most important effective indicators for the implementation of cleaner production in the companies in the country. Prioritization of all cleaner production sub-indices showed that the industrial process automation as a sub-index is the most important in the strategic implementation of cleaner production in the corrugated box making industries.Sub-indicators of using approved and standard raw materials, proper composition and formulation of requests, quantitative and qualitative controls of processes, alignment of organizational culture with cleaner production goals, timely planning of received orders, adaptation of production products to customers' requests and continuous empowerment manpower with a view to cleaner production are also in the next priorities. The results of this research can be used in the implementation of cleaner production process in the corrugated box making industries in Iran.

The use of active packaging is a new method for preserving food materials, and many researches have been done during recent years to produce and make it economical. This type of packaging improves the safety, durability or sensorial properties of food by changing packaging conditions. Antimicrobial agents are among the most important types of active compounds used in active packaging design. Different types of antimicrobial compounds including essential oils have been used for this purpose. This type of packaging has been used in various forms including antimicrobial sachets loaded with different essential oils and natural antimicrobial coatings for fruits and vegetables. In this review article, it has been mentioned different types of antimicrobial packaging and chemical and natural antimicrobial compounds which can be used in production of active packaging. The method of making antimicrobial sachets and application of antimicrobial sachets and coatings in fruits and vegetables packaging are discussed in detail.

Fish products with significant nutritional value and good physiological effects have a great market and consumption potential. According to high protein and low fat composition of fish that make fish products easy to deteriorate it is difficult to store, and resulting in great waste. Active packaging is an innovative approach developed to protect or extend the shelf life of food products, ensuring quality, safety and integrity. Active packaging technologies include some physical, chemical, or biological actions that modify the interactions between the package and the product for the desired result. Essential oils (EOs) are one of the compounds used in antimicrobial active packaging as antimicrobial agents. Essential oils are produced by different part of plants as defensive mechanisms against microorganisms. In recent years, the effectiveness of a wide range of EOs against lipid oxidation and microbial growth has been extensively demonstrated by many authors. It has been reported that oregano EO is the most frequently used for applications as fish preservatives, followed by rosemary and thyme EOs.

Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera), is one of the first trees domesticated by humans, It plays an important role in the life of local people in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran since it produces nutritious fruits, as well as influences on their environmental and aesthetic aspects. These double advantages are particular to those crafts used for packaging date fruit thanks to putting them on the way to sustainable development. In order to revive the Persian traditional packaging of date fruit, this paper describes that how palm leaves have been used for date packaging in its traditional process of production and distribution. It, thus, focuses on the opportunities and challenges of the revival of date packaging traditions based on the six indicators of sustainable packaging management. The result shows that, just two out of these six indicators, can only be evaluated in date packaging traditions, while the others should be redesigned for traditional date packaging to adapt to sustainable development goals.It can be concluded that more than half of date palm crafts for packaging must be revised and renewed; however, there are remarkable opportunities in improvement and optimization of these crafts based on sustainable development goals. As a whole, these opportunities and challenges are presented in a table.

Cold plasma is a novel green technology and refers to an ionized gas in which a small fraction of its atoms lose one or more electrons and contains many active species such as electrons, ions, free radicals, excited states, and a large number of ionized neutral molecules. This technology is produced at low pressures and powers, and the type of gas and the method used to produce plasma determine the nature and quantity of the active species. In recent years, the use of cold plasma for reasons such as not having a negative effect on heat-sensitive materials, improving the moisture properties, increasing the surface activity, printing and coloring potential are considered by researchers in the packaging industry.Accumulation of petroleum-based plastics, which are mainly used in food packaging, is a serious environmental problem today; As a result, researchers' efforts to develop biodegradable films and coatings have increased but these materials, like polymers, do not have the surface properties required in some applications. Cold plasma can modify biopolymers and polymers by methods such as crosslinking, DE polymerization, and plasma etching. This paper investigates the applications of cold plasma in surface modification of polymers and biopolymers.