A French start-up company has created an edible plastic made from milk protein which it claims will benefit intelligent packaging in the future.
Called Lactips, the company produces water-soluble and biodegradable thermoplastic pellets based on casein which are able to “transform plastic” through a secret industrial process, as the company puts it.
“We are able to provide our pellets fastly and with high volume,” it states on its website.
“Those pellets will be used by our clients as a raw material for thermoforming, film, or any kind of plastic applications.
“Our first mission, correlated with our fundamental values, is to provide our industrial clients with new disruptive innovations to help them entering new markets.
“Our product will be a cleaner alternative to oil-based product, more efficient, and sustainable for consumers and the environment.”
According to Lactip, its bioplastic film is totally biodegradable within 18 days and can be used as home compost.
According to CEO Marie-Helene Gramatikoff, who spoke to Confectionery News, specific applications were used in the development of the product to slow down the degradation process of food, and improve freshness control.
“The packaging material must seal the contents from outside factors and protect them to prevent degradation in quality,” he said.
“At Lactips, we produce a bio-based plastic which has excellent barrier properties to oxygen.”
