Development of Banana Nonwoven Fabric for Eco-friendly Packaging Applications of Rural Agriculture Sector

ABSTRACT

As the market demand for biodegradable packaging needs in many countries is increasing, packaging material made of banana fiber could be a promising, sustainable, eco-friendly alternative for the existing synthetic materials. Banana fiber provides a better ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) and weatherproof since it has natural pigment, pectin, and lignin which act as UV absorbers, and also it has a higher moisture content which can preserve food material naturally. In this study, a nonwoven packaging material was developed using banana fiber by needle punching technique and was tested for their ability to preserve a few sensitive fruits and vegetables. From the observations, it was found that the lifespan of almost all the tested fruits and vegetables has increased in the range of 1–5 days when stored in boxes lined with banana nonwoven felt when compared to the existing commercial package, except for banana where the life span has reduced by 2 days. Hence, the banana pseudostem which is a wasted resource can be utilized as a sustainable, eco-friendly packaging material fetching additional income to the agriculture sector and also help the formers to increase the life span of their produce.

摘要

随着许多国家对可生物降解包装需求的市场需求不断增加, 香蕉纤维包装材料有望成为现有合成材料的一种有前途的, 可持续的, 环保的替代品. 香蕉纤维含有天然色素, 果胶, 木质素等紫外线吸收剂, 水分含量高, 能自然保存食品, 具有较好的防紫外线性能和耐候性. 本研究以香蕉纤维为原料, 采用针刺技术研制了一种非织造包装材料, 并对其保鲜效果进行了测试. 通过观察发现, 与现有的商业包装相比, 几乎所有被测水果和蔬菜的寿命都在1-5天内增加, 除了香蕉的使用寿命缩短了2天. 因此, 香蕉假茎是一种浪费资源, 可以作为一种可持续的, 环保的包装材料, 为农业部门带来额外的收入, 也有助于香蕉生产商延长产品的使用寿命.

KEYWORDS:

• Food packaging
• bio-degradable
• banana fiber
• nonwoven
• rural industry
• agriculture sector

关键词:

• 食品包装
• 可生物降解
• 香蕉纤维
• 无纺布
• 农村工业
• 农业部门