PhD student profile, Ghislain Fotie

PhD Student:  Ghislain Fotie

Tutor: Prof. Luciano Piergiovanni

Dean: Prof. Francesco Bonomi, DeFENS

Research area: Food Science and Nutrition & Chemistry and Biochemistry

Research topic

Cellulose nanoparticles (nanocrystals and nanofibrils) in food systems: novel food packaging materials; bioactive functionalized components; releasing systems; bioprocesses for by-products valorization; biorefinery high value added products

Project Synopsis

This PhD research will consist of implementing novel packages (fully compostable) based on the use of the Cellulose Nanoparticles (CNs) isolated from the cellulose, which is abundantly available in waste materials (wood pulp, cotton linter …) and by-products (rice and soy husks…). Owing to the biodegradability and unique gas barrier& mechanical properties of the CNs, those bio-based packages might be used for food shelf-life extension shaping the food quality& safety with concomitant environmental and economic expectations in a real circular economy in food packaging. However, to make that project possible and effective, two main drawbacks have to be sorted out. Firstly, the high tendency of the Cellulose Nanoparticles to swell in presence of humidity is detrimental to the gas barrier properties and secondly, the CNs are not heat sealable to form multi-layers’ packages. A couple of solutions retained plausible have been investigating such as an attempt to modify the CNs surface into more hydrophobic structure for increasing the nanocrystals functionalities to be coated onto either external film side or between two plastic films and promoting their potential mixing with adhesives.

Project keywords

food packaging, biopolymers, shelf life, gas barrier, sustainability, compostability

Contacts

ghislain.fotie@unimi.it

Tel. (+39) 0250316661, (+39)3927251489

Collaborations

Sapici Spa: Dr. Luca Zanetti, Dr. Attilio Borlenghi

Nature Plast:  Dr. G. Lebouteiller

Tecknopackaging: Dr. Lidia Garcia

Goglio North Europe: Dr. Claus Berend

Dept “Multiscale Biobased Materials”Grenoble INP Grenoble Institute of Technology–Pagora: Dr. Julien BRAS

Université de Bordeaux: Dr. Veronique Coma

University of Bologna: Dr. Marco Giacinti

Sponsor

Fellowship sponsor: Funding from Fast Track H2020 Project BIOCOMPLACK, eco-friendly food packaging with enhanced barrier properties. H2020-FTIPilot-2015-1

Project sponsor: BIOCOMPLACK, eco-friendly food packaging with enhanced barrier properties. H2020-FTIPilot-2015-1