Film of the Future - Producing an antiviral, antimicrobial, biodegradable plastic from seaweed

There is increasing consumer concern about the impact of plastic pollution on the environment. The government is promoting investment towards single-use plastic eradication and media attention is focused on alternatives to this material. Sectors in the food supply chain rely on plastic packaging to ensure food safety and quality.
We hypothesise that fully compostable non-plastic films can be produced containing extracts from seaweeds with antibacterial and antiviral properties, minimising the risk of disease transmission through food contact materials; maintaining quality and safety of food products; and reducing the environmental impact of current packaging solutions.
Objectives
Substrate generation and desirable property analysis
Extracts formed of fucoidan and phloroglucinols will be extracted from brown seaweed species. An industrially scalable extraction method will be developed to enable fractional separation of different molecular weights in addition to whole extracts. The antibacterial properties of each extract will be tested in in vitro trials .Antiviral properties will be examined.
Film production
Films will be generated from commercially available alginate with products generated from Objective 1 and additional compounds with complementary properties addressing issues identified in Objective 2. Films will be screened for antibacterial and antiviral properties as per Objective 1.
Film property analysis
Selected films will be characterised in terms of physical properties. Real-world supply chain conditions will be simulated to understand the response of food to novel packaging materials in terms of quality and safety.
Packaging production trial
Films identified with both positive packaging properties and antibacterial and antiviral qualities will be produced generating material sufficient for inclusion in a packaging trial. Film samples will be taken throughout the process for physical property analysis and antimicrobial and antiviral property analysis.