Quality Assessment of Waste from Olive Oil Production and Design of Biodegradable Packaging

Abstract

The use of olive pomace from olive oil production is still insufficient. The lingering olive pomace is harmful to the environment. On the other hand, the world is increasingly polluted with plastic or by-products from the production of biodegradable products. Considering these two problems, the aim of this work was to develop a mixture and create biodegradable disposable tableware characterized by high antioxidant activity. The disposable tableware was made by mixing olive pomace with teff flour or/and sorghum groats and lecithin. Baking was carried out at the temperature of 180 °C. The best variant of the mixture for the preparation of disposable tableware was olive pomace, teff flour, sorghum groats and lecithin. These vessels were the toughest, with low water absorption and had a high antioxidant potential due to the high content of polyphenols and omega acids. Protecting the cups and bowls with beeswax had a positive effect on reducing water absorption.

Polyphenol-Rich Extracts from Agroindustrial Waste and Byproducts: Results and Perspectives According to the Green Chemistry and Circular Economy

“…Additionally, biobased and biodegradable polymers represent an eco-friendly approach to mitigate the environmental impact of plastic consumption, particularly for disposable products. In this regard, olive pomace demonstrated its potential as an ingredient for innovative disposable thermopressed tableware …”

“…In this regard, olive pomace demonstrated its potential as an ingredient for innovative disposable thermopressed tableware. 58 Beyond food safety and preservation concerns, the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of olive phenolic compounds can be applied to prevent infections caused by harmful microorganisms in humans and animals. Extracts from olive oil mill wastewater using ethanol, methanol, or ethyl acetate as solvents exhibited antimicrobial activity against a wide range of pathogens as Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus uberis, and Staphylococcus aureus.…”

Recovery of mining and agri-food wastes in fired materials: A case study of the Moroccan industry

“…On a related point, the production of eco-friendly bricks by combining marble dust with coal gangue processed at 650°C presented a remarkable mechanical strength and thermal insulation (Ez-zaki et al, 2018). Furthermore, another paper investigated the feasibility of incorporating coal gangue (10,20,30,40, and 50 wt.%) in the production of clay bricks. The analyzed samples conformed to the standards for 1st -class bricks according to the Korean Standard, with less than 10% water absorption and compressive strength higher than 20.59 MPa when up to 30% of coal gangue is used (Yoo et al, 2005).…”

“…In fact, 100 kg of olives produce an average of 100 L of margins and 35 kg of pomace as wastes (Kamini et al, 2011). Regarding to olive pomace, it is problematic due to its high content of polyphenols, which are di cult to biodegrade (Grzelczyk et al, 2022). Margins are even more harmful than urban wastewater, as they are rich in phenolic compounds that, when discharged into rivers or drains, can clog the soil, suffocate living organisms, and inhibit their growth (Chouchene, 2010).…”

Characterization of Synthetic Polymer Coated with Biopolymer Layer with Natural Orange Peel Extract Aimed for Food Packaging

“…It is important to emphasise that optimal barrier properties are required for not only synthetic packaging materials, but also biomaterials aimed for specific food products [5,6]. Nowadays, there is an increasing trend to replace plastics with natural biodegradable polymers from renewable agriculture byproducts and food industry wastes [7][8][9]. However, due to their versatility and sensitivity to humid environments, this is often a hardly achievable task.…”