{"id":75783,"date":"2020-06-17T07:20:44","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T05:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=75783"},"modified":"2020-06-12T18:41:39","modified_gmt":"2020-06-12T16:41:39","slug":"egg-based-coating-preserves-fresh-produce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/egg-based-coating-preserves-fresh-produce\/","title":{"rendered":"Egg-based coating preserves fresh produce"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Eggs that would otherwise be wasted can be used as the base of an inexpensive coating to protect fruits and vegetables, according to Rice University researchers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The <a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.rice.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\">Brown School of Engineering lab of materials<\/a> scientist <a href=\"https:\/\/msne.rice.edu\/content\/pulickel-ajayan\" target=\"_blank\">Pulickel Ajayan<\/a> and colleagues have developed a micron-thick coating that solves problems both for the produce and its consumers, as well as for the environment.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"BorlabsCookie _brlbs-cb-youtube\">\n<div class=\"_brlbs-content-blocker\">\n<div class=\"_brlbs-embed _brlbs-video-youtube\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"_brlbs-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-content\/plugins\/borlabs-cookie\/assets\/images\/cb-no-thumbnail.png\" alt=\"YouTube\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"_brlbs-caption\">\n<p>By loading the video, you agree to YouTube&#8217;s privacy policy.<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy?hl=en&amp;gl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Learn more<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"_brlbs-btn _brlbs-icon-play-white\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-unblock role=\"button\">Load video<\/a><\/p>\n<p><label><input type=\"checkbox\" name=\"unblockAll\" value=\"1\" checked> <small>Always unblock YouTube<\/small><\/label><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"borlabs-hide\" data-borlabs-cookie-type=\"content-blocker\" data-borlabs-cookie-id=\"youtube\"><script type=\"text\/template\">PGlmcmFtZSB0aXRsZT0iUmljZSBsYWLigJlzIGVnZy1iYXNlZCBjb2F0aW5nIGV4dGVuZHMgc2hlbGYgbGlmZSBvZiBwZXJpc2hhYmxlIHByb2R1Y2UiIHdpZHRoPSI1MDAiIGhlaWdodD0iMjgxIiBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUtbm9jb29raWUuY29tL2VtYmVkL2RDU3ZzMV9XZ0ZnP2ZlYXR1cmU9b2VtYmVkIiBmcmFtZWJvcmRlcj0iMCIgYWxsb3c9ImFjY2VsZXJvbWV0ZXI7IGF1dG9wbGF5OyBjbGlwYm9hcmQtd3JpdGU7IGVuY3J5cHRlZC1tZWRpYTsgZ3lyb3Njb3BlOyBwaWN0dXJlLWluLXBpY3R1cmU7IHdlYi1zaGFyZSIgcmVmZXJyZXJwb2xpY3k9InN0cmljdC1vcmlnaW4td2hlbi1jcm9zcy1vcmlnaW4iIGFsbG93ZnVsbHNjcmVlbj48L2lmcmFtZT4=<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>When the coating was applied to produce by spraying or dipping, it showed a remarkable ability to resist rotting for an extended period comparable to standard coatings like wax but without some of the inherent problems.<\/p>\n<p>The work by Rice undergraduate students Seohui (Sylvia) Jung and Yufei (Nancy) Cui is detailed in Advanced Materials.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_75784\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-75784\" style=\"width: 266px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"  wp-image-75784\" src=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/0608_EGGS-1-rn-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"0608_EGGS-1-rn\" width=\"266\" height=\"177\" srcset=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2020\/06\/0608_EGGS-1-rn-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2020\/06\/0608_EGGS-1-rn.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 266px) 100vw, 266px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-75784\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eggs that would otherwise be wasted can be used as the base of an inexpensive coating to protect fruits and vegetables, according to Rice University researchers. Photo by Jeff Fitlow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The coating relies on eggs that never reach the market. As the United States produces more than 7 billion eggs a year and manufacturers reject 3% of them, the researchers estimate more than 200 million eggs end up in landfills.<\/p>\n<p>Even before the impact of the new coronavirus, the world wasted a third of the food produced around the globe, the researchers wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReducing food shortages in ways that don\u2019t involve genetic modification, inedible coatings or chemical additives is important for sustainable living,\u201d Ajayan said. \u201cThe work is a remarkable combination of interdisciplinary efforts involving materials engineers, chemists and biotechnologists from multiple universities across the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Along with being edible, the multifunctional coating retards dehydration, provides antimicrobial protection and is largely impermeable both to water vapor to retard dehydration and to gas to prevent premature ripening. The coating is all-natural and washes off with water.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf anyone is sensitive to the coating or has an egg allergy, they can easily eliminate it,\u201d Jung said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_75785\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-75785\" style=\"width: 242px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"  wp-image-75785\" src=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/0608_EGGS-2-rn-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"0608_EGGS-2-rn\" width=\"242\" height=\"161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2020\/06\/0608_EGGS-2-rn-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2020\/06\/0608_EGGS-2-rn.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 242px) 100vw, 242px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-75785\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A coating developed at Rice University made primarily with protein from eggs that would otherwise be wasted can be used to extend the freshness of produce. Photo by Jeff Fitlow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Egg whites (aka albumen) and yolks account for nearly 70 percent of the coating. Most of the rest consists of nanoscale cellulose extracted from wood, which serves as a barrier to water and keeps produce from shriveling, a small amount of curcumin for its antimicrobial powers and a splash of glycerol to add elasticity.<\/p>\n<p>Lab tests on dip-coated strawberries, avocadoes, bananas and other fruit showed they maintained their freshness far longer than uncoated produce. Compression tests showed coated fruit were significantly stiffer and more firm than uncoated and demonstrated the coating\u2019s ability to keep water in the produce, slowing the ripening process.<\/p>\n<p>An analysis of freestanding films of the coating showed it to be extremely flexible and able to resist cracking, allowing better protection of the produce. Tests of the film\u2019s tensile properties showed it to be just as tough as other products, including synthetic films used in produce packaging. Further tests proved the coating to be nontoxic, and solubility tests showed a thicker-than-usual film is washable. Rinsing in water for a couple of minutes can completely disintegrate it, Ajayan said.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers continue to refine the coating\u2019s composition and are considering other source materials. \u201cWe chose egg proteins because there are lots of eggs wasted, but it doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t use others,\u201d said co-corresponding author Muhammad Rahman, a research scientist in Ajayan\u2019s Rice lab, who mentored and led the team.<\/p>\n<p>Jung noted the team is testing proteins that could be extracted from plants rather than animal produce to make coatings.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_75786\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-75786\" style=\"width: 507px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-75786\" src=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/0608_EGGS-3-rn.jpg\" alt=\"0608_EGGS-3-rn\" width=\"507\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2020\/06\/0608_EGGS-3-rn.jpg 590w, https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/media\/2020\/06\/0608_EGGS-3-rn-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 507px) 100vw, 507px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-75786\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rice University undergraduate student Yufei (Nancy) Cui prepares a solution based on protein from wasted eggs. The solution can be used as a coating that extends the freshness of fruit and vegetables. With her is Rice research scientist and mentor Muhammad Rahman. Photo by Jeff Fitlow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Co-authors of the paper are Rice graduate students Morgan Barnes, Aparna Adumbumkulath, Onur Sahin, Seyed Sajadi and Lucas Sassi; Rice research scientist Corwin Miller; Rice postdoctoral research associate Soumyabrata Roy; Matthew Bennett, an associate professor of biosciences at Rice; Rafael Verduzco, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of materials science and nanoengineering at Rice; Robert Vajtai, a research professor in materials science and nanoengineering at Rice; Reaz Chowdhury, a graduate research assistant, and Jeffrey Youngblood, a professor of materials engineering, at Purdue University; graduate student Jefferson Friguglietti and Fatima Merchant, an associate professor of computer engineering technology and computational health informatics, at the University of Houston; graduate research assistant Chinmay Satam, graduate student Yue Ji and J. Carson Meredith, a professor, James Harris Faculty Fellow and executive director of the Renewable Bioproducts Institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology; and postdoctoral researcher Shenxiang Zhang, Miao Yu, an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, and Nikhil Koratkar, a professor of mechanical, aerospace and nuclear engineering, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.<\/p>\n<p>Ajayan is chair of Rice\u2019s Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and a professor of chemistry.<\/p>\n<p>The Robert A. Welch Foundation and the Brazilian Ministry of Education\u2019s Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel program supported the research.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Read the abstract at <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/adma.201908291\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/adma.201908291<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>About the Rice University<\/h3>\n<p>Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation\u2019s top 20 universities by U.S. News &amp; World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,962 undergraduates and 3,027 graduate students, Rice\u2019s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race\/class interaction and No. 4 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger\u2019s Personal Finance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eggs that would otherwise be wasted can be used as the base of an inexpensive coating to protect fruits and vegetables, according to Rice University researchers. The Brown School of Engineering lab of materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan and colleagues have developed a micron-thick coating that solves problems both for the produce and its consumers, as [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","nova_meta_subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[5838,13264,7105],"supplier":[4503,574],"class_list":["post-75783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-bioeconomy","tag-coating","tag-packaging","supplier-brown-university","supplier-rice-university-houston"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75783\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75783"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=75783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}