A Massey University food technology student has demonstrated that apple pomace can be combined with wood pulp to produce paper-based packaging with improved mechanical properties.
Apple pomace – the skins, pulp and seeds remaining after apples are juiced or processed – is generally treated as a low-value by-product and used as stock feed. Fourth-year student Ed Ron Ng is investigating whether the material could instead provide an alternative fibre source for food packaging.
The project, titled Sustainable Food Packaging: Utilising Food Processing Waste Streams for Fibre-Based Packaging, has been supported by a scholarship from New Zealand packaging procurement company Revo Packaging.
According to Massey University, preliminary findings from Ng’s research and related work conducted with the Bioeconomy Science Institute indicate that supplementing wood pulp with 20 per cent apple pomace can increase tensile strength and tensile stiffness by approximately 50 per cent compared with wood-pulp paper alone.
“This is significant because it suggests apple pomace could not only replace some conventional fibre sources but also improve important material properties,” Ng said.
Hawke’s Bay’s apple-processing industry provides a relatively consistent supply of pomace throughout the year. Ng’s research is examining how this material could be put to higher-value use while reducing the volume of conventional fibre required.
Scholarship funding enabled Massey to commission a laboratory-scale handsheet-making system, allowing paper test sheets to be produced in accordance with international testing standards.
The next phase is focused on addressing a key challenge for fibre-based food packaging: resistance to water and oils. Plant-based coatings are being assessed to determine whether the material could be suitable for applications including takeaway containers and other food-service packaging.
The work remains at proof-of-concept stage. Further research will assess commercial feasibility and how apple pomace-based fibre could be incorporated into new or existing packaging manufacturing processes.
Project supervisor and Massey senior lecturer in packaging technology Dr Eli Gray-Stuart said the research could help create value from food-processing by-products while supporting the development of locally sourced packaging materials.
Revo Packaging funded the scholarship through its Packaging for Good initiative. The support covered specialised equipment, materials and testing, as well as travel to collect fruit-processing waste streams.
Revo Packaging managing director Steffan Pedersen said the scholarship also aimed to strengthen pathways into New Zealand’s food and packaging technology sectors, where skilled specialists are in short supply.
