ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF BIOACTIVE CHITOSAN FILMS

Interest in the development of films for food preservation is increasing due to the improvement achieved in the food preservation time with the advent of new packaging technologies. Chitosan is a widely used biopolymer produced from the deacetylation of chitin, which has a good capacity to form suitable films as food packages. On the other hand, bioactive compounds such as gallic acid and salicylic acid act as inhibitors of the oxidant activity of free radicals and delay the decomposition of food. In this sense, the preparation of chitosan films modified with the mixture incorporation of salicylic acid/sorbitol or gallic acid/Tween 80 was proposed, using sorbitol or Tween 80 as plasticizers. Both films (chitosan/gallic acid/Tween 80 and chitosan/salicylic acid/sorbitol) showed a good antioxidant capacity in while the chitosan/gallic acid/Tween 80 film evidenced its antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 causing a diminution of unit forming colony

DETECTION OF SARS-COV-2 FROM SURFACE OF PATIENTS’ LEFTOVER FOOD PACKAGES AT A COVID-19 QUARANTINE CENTRE

In healthcare facilities, food waste and its packaging are mostly managed as non-infectious general waste. However, waste from SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, are treated as medical waste as they may be contaminated by the virus. We investigated the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 contamination from positive COVID-19 patients to their leftover food packages at a quarantine centre. Food packages surface was swabbed using prewetted cellular foam, placed into viral transport media and analysed using real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in two samples (4.5%) from asymptomatic patients who were at day-2 positive SARS-CoV-2 with cycle threshold (Ct) value (RdRp/E), 34.96/35.72 and 37.1/36.48 respectively. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 supports that there is contamination to the waste. These poses risk of exposure as SAR-COV-2 survive on the surfaces, thus, safe handling and disposal of food waste should be maintained. However, further study involving viral culture should be explored to determine the viability of the SARS-CoV-2 from leftover food packages

Plasticor: Smarting Food Packages

Food waste that occurs at different stages from food production to transportation and in homes is an economic, social and environmental problem. These food scraps are largely responsible for the generation of greenhouse gases (GHG). In addition, many of these foods are sold in non-biodegradable plastic packaging that results in the accumulation of plastic in the environment, directly and/or indirectly affecting the lives of animals and humans. In order to bring about a possibility of reducing food waste and the accumulation of long-lasting plastics in nature, Plasticor was developed, a biodegradable and sustainable polymer used in the packaging of foods that use biosensors to test the viability for human consumption of food. A smart packaging that involves food and has its color changed when the product is no longer fit for consumption, indicating the presence of harmful microorganisms. Thus, avoiding the early disposal of food in good condition and consequently its impact on the environment, in addition to postponing the consumption of new products, Plasticor contributes to a more sustainable world.

Bakti Sosial Sinergisitas TNI, POLRI, PEMKOT, ORMAS dan Mahasiswa UCIC Dalam Rangka Sumpah Pemuda dan Pelaksanaan Kampus Merdeka

The synergy between TNI, POLRI, ORMAS, PEMKOT and students is a form of solidarity between components of society during the current Covid-19 pandemic. This synergy in social service aims to help some people directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic so that they have better endurance. This social service activity is also in commemoration of the 93rd youth oath day in 2021. From Catur University Insan Scholar this activity is represented by BKM as a student organization at the university level. This social service activity is carried out by helping to provide material assistance in the form of basic food packages. Food packages of 2000 packages. The result of this Social Service activity is the distribution of a number of material assistance so that it can increase people's resilience to get out of the economic pressure due to COVID-19.

Deep learning for the quality control of thermoforming food packages

Quality control is a key process designed to ensure that only products satisfying the defined quality requirements reach the end consumer or the next step in a production line. In the food industry, in the packaging step, there are many products that are still evaluated by human operators. To automate the process and improve efficiency and effectiveness, computer vision and artificial intelligence techniques can be applied. This automation is challenging since specific strategies designed according to the application scenario are required. Focusing on the quality control of the sealing and closure of matrix-shaped thermoforming food packages, the aim of the article is to propose a deep-learning-based solution designed to automatically perform the quality control while satisfying production cadence and ensuring 100% inline inspection of the products. Particularly, the designed computer vision system and the image-based criteria defined to determine when a product has to be accepted or rejected are presented. In addition, the vision control software is described with special emphasis on the different convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures that have been considered (ResNet18, ResNet50, Vgg19 and DenseNet161, non-pre-trained and pre-trained on ImageNet) and on the specifically designed dataset. To test the solution, different experiments are carried out in the laboratory and also in a real scenario, concluding that the proposed CNN-based approach improves the efficiency and security of the quality control process. Optimal results are obtained with the pre-trained DenseNet161, achieving false positive rates that range from 0.03 to 0.30% and false negative rates that range from 0 to 0.07%, with a rejection rate between 0.64 and 5.09% of production, and being able to detect at least 99.93% of the sealing defects that occur in any production. The modular design of our solution as well as the provided description allow it to adapt to similar scenarios and to new deep-learning models to prevent the arrival of faulty products to end consumers by removing them from the automated production line.

Use of Image Analysis for Non-Destructive Testing of Thermoformed Food Packages

The aim of this study is to determine the thickness distribution of a food package using a non-destructive method. Initially, thickness measurements were carried out using an experimental procedure for thermoformed samples that were used for food packaging. Additionally, in this study, image analysis was used for the first time to determine the thickness distribution of the thermoformed products non-destructively. Image analysis software was employed for the estimation of thickness distribution. Measured thickness results were compared to those estimated using image analysis. Based on the results of the current study, image analysis may be an alternative method for non-destructive testing of thermoformed food packages even in a mass production line. Image analysis can be used to determine not only thickness distribution but also the weakest regions in a food package.

FOOD SUPPORT FOR THE ANDALAS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DURING THE FIRST LOCKDOWN DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Background: Distributing Food Supplies for andalas university students that wander in Padang who are affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic is essential. Methodology: The distribution of basic food packages consisting of rice, eggs, cooking oil, milk and instant noodles has been carried out in 2 stages. This package can feed students for 1 week and help them to survive this difficult time. This program was directly supervised by the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Andalas University and implemented jointly with all members of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Andalas University. Conclusion: This activity can increase solidarity with the care of others affected by Covid-19 and also encourage understanding and interest in community empowerment, especially in tackling the spread of coronavirus

Increased food contamination with mold and fungi during COVID-19 Crisis

COVID-19 known as the “novel coronavirus disease 2019” is a respiratory illness, and the causative pathogen is officially named as Sars-CoV-2whose epidemic has spread rapidly worldwide. Thus, human-to human transmission has reduced if people's attention to health has increased and precautionary measures have been implemented.It is known that the virus can survive on infected surfaces and handsfor hours and days. It is possible to get infected by touchingthe contaminated surface of food packaging by customers in the grocery and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes. Thus, the public supposes that touching food or food packing by salesmen and buyers in the grocery can transmit the virus to the customers. Therefore, the World Health Organization encourages people to wash their hands regularly and disinfect areas where the virus can survive, such as metal and plastic surfaces.In fact, overwashing can cause disadvantages such as moisture penetration into food packages and increased water activity in food, which provides the conditions for fungi to grow and cause spoilage in food. Accordingly, this phenomenon would have shown significant negative effects on public health as the post-pandemic phase of COVID-19. The corona virus has had a significant impact on people's behavior in the food chain, washing and disinfecting food in these critical situations. People also quickly changed the way they bought and procured food from supermarkets to ensure food safety and eradicate the virus.Use of substances/disinfectants such as Sodium hypochlorite, reduce COVID-19 from surfaces and objects or reduce viral particles from surfaces and objects. COVID-19 is the disease caused by the virus. The virus is present on the surface of objects and the disease caused by the virus does not occur on objects. Washing and disinfecting food packaging may cause damage the products thereby reducing their shelf life and provide. Therefore, health experts report public awareness of hands and disinfect surfaces regularly to eliminate the virus. It is also recommended to wash and disinfect hands and disinfect surfaces.

Application of Vegetal Oils in Developing Bioactive Paper-Based Materials for Food Packaging

A major disadvantage of conventional food packaging materials is the difficulty in disposal and recycling, due to their high stability to environmental and thermal stress. The trend now is to develop new eco-friendly food packaging that can substitute fossil fuel derived materials. Cellulose, the main constituent of paper-based food packages, is a favorable starting material for such purpose. In this study we present a new method to obtain bioactive paper based materials suitable for food packaging applications. By combining eco-friendly activation processes (cold plasma or gamma irradiation) and bioactive plant oils (clove essential oil and rosehip seeds vegetal oil) for modification of kraft paper, new materials with antioxidant and antibacterial activity were obtained. The oil-loaded bioactive paper based materials presented increased hydrophobicity (from 97° in the case of kraft paper to 115° for oil-loaded sample) and decreased water adsorption (a one-quarter decrease). Due to differential interactions with the functional groups of plant oils, the modified kraft paper presents different antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Essential clove oil imprinted higher antioxidant activity (owing to the high content in eugenol and eugenol acetate phenolic compounds and were more efficient in reducing the bacterial growth on fresh beef meat and especially on fresh curd cheese. The cold pressed rosehip seeds oil acted as aslightly better antibacterial agent against Listeria monocytogenes (+), Salmonella enteritidis (-) and Escherichia coli (-) bacterial strains. Thus, the newly developed bioactive paper could be used as effective packaging material that can help preserving food quality for longer time.

Implementation of 3D Printing Technology in the Food Industry

This project involves the implementation of 3D printing technology on designing and fabricating food holders in the food industry. Food holders are designed to hold the food packages in the filling line for food manufacturing industries that apply retort technology. Therefore, this study aims to implement the 3D printing technology in particular FDM to fabricate food holders for the food processing industry. The approach of using this technology is focused on giving more view on the capability of 3D printing technology, aiming at reducing the overall process fabrication cost and fabrication time. Hence, the fabrication cost and time between FDM and conventional machining methods were compared. This study revealed that Organic Gain food industry was able to reduce the cost and fabrication time for the food holder up to approximately 96.3% and 72% respectively. This project gives an insight into the ability of 3D printing technology in delivering the demands of the industry in producing parts as well as the adaptability of the technology to the industry in new product development. The project was carried out successfully and the 3D printed food holder has been tested and functions smoothly.