Biodegradable Packaging for Food and Method of Obtainment

Abstract

The present disclosure encompasses biodegradable packaging for food having a container body made from a sheet that closes on itself, creating an inner compartment and an opening in the manner of a bag, the sheet being made from natural plant fibre mesh, lined and coated with starch, from the group including cotton, linen, hemp and jute, or combinations thereof, and more preferably of jute, the mesh having orifices or holes of a size between 2 mm and 15 mm, and more preferably between 5 mm and 15 mm. The mesh may be dyed or coloured and may include various additional components: textile strap to include legends, trademarks or indications on the product contained therein, reinforcement bands on its sides, handle, etc. The invention also relates to the method for obtaining the packaging, which includes a starch impregnation step to reinforce the resistance of the mesh and additionally a dyeing phase.

Claims

1. A biodegradable packaging for food, having a food container body made from a sheet that closes on itself, creating an inner compartment and an opening in the manner of a bag, said sheet being made from natural plant fibre mesh, lined and coated with starch, selected from a group consisting of cotton, linen, hemp and jute, as well as any of the combinations thereof, and wherein said mesh has holes of a size comprised between 2 mm and 15 mm.

2. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, wherein the holes of the mesh have a size comprised between 5 mm and 15 mm.

3. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, wherein the holes of the mesh have a tolerance index of 1%-5%.

4. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, wherein the holes have a shape selected from the group of geometries consisting of a quadrilateral, rectangle, rhombus and circle.

5. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 4, wherein the holes have a quadrilateral shape and wherein the size of the holes is 7 mm×7 mm or 10 mm×10 mm.

6. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, wherein the starch lining the mesh is corn starch.

7. The biodegradable packaging according claim 1, wherein the starch lining the mesh is a solution of 100% natural corn powder diluted in water at a concentration comprised between 2% and 12%.

8. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, wherein the mesh is formed by a natural plant fibre yarn which is braided, knotted or adhered.

9. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, wherein the natural plant fibre mesh is jute yarn.

10. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, wherein the mesh is composed of a horizontal yarn with respect to the length of the packaging braided with two yarns perpendicular to the horizontal yarn, said two yarns being vertical with respect to the width of the packaging, forming a lattice or netting with holes homogeneously distributed in the mesh, or else the mesh is composed of a single horizontal yarn braided with a single yarn perpendicular and vertical with respect to said horizontal yarn, forming said lattice.

11. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, wherein the mesh is dyed or coloured with a natural dye or a dye suitable for contact with food.

12. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 10, wherein the yarn is non-laminated jute yarn with a width of between 60 cm and 120 cm.

13. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, wherein the width is 80 cm.

14. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 9, wherein the jute yarn has a basis weight comprised between 80 and 300 gsm.

15. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, comprising at least one textile or non-woven material band, which is adhered to the outer surface of the mesh, to include legends, trademarks or indications on the product contained therein.

16. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, comprising one or more textile or non-woven material bands located on the perimeter of the container body formed by the mesh which folds over itself, in the manner of reinforcement, on the outside of the mesh or on the inside of the mesh, and sewn by means of at least one seam.

17. The biodegradable packaging according to claim 1, comprising closing means at the opening thereof, gathered or sewn at said opening of the mesh and allowing it to be closed.

18. A method for manufacturing the biodegradable packaging described in claim 1, that comprises at least the steps of: treating the food container body which is the natural plant fibre mesh, by means of impregnation with starch, until forming a coating of the yarns of the fibre forming the mesh with said starch; and drying the mesh impregnated with the starch.

19. The method described in claim 18, further comprising, prior to the starch impregnation step, a dyeing phase in turn comprising the following steps: washing the natural plant fibre mesh with soap and water, at a temperature comprised between 80° C. and 100° C., for a time comprised between 30 minutes and 90 minutes; removing the wash water; immersing the mesh in water again and adding a dye or colouring, at a temperature comprised between 80° C. and 100° C. and keeping the mixture under constant stirring for a time comprised between 30 minutes and 90 minutes, until obtaining a homogeneous dyeing of the mesh; removing the water and immersing the mesh again in warm water, at a temperature comprised between 15° C. and 45° C., and soap for a time comprised between 15 minutes and 45 minutes; and drying the dyed mesh.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The accompanying drawings are used to provide further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the present disclosure. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and the description thereof serve to explain the present disclosure, but do not constitute an improper limitation to the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings:

[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates the biodegradable packaging for food according to the present disclosure, including: a container body of the packaging made from plant fibre mesh folded over itself; quadrilaterals or holes in the mesh; an opening of the packaging; closing means of the opening, which is a plant fibre cord; textile band sewn to the surface of the mesh to include legends; textile band sewn on the outer perimeter of the container body formed by the mesh, to provide reinforcement and consistency; and a handle of the packaging.

[0037] FIG. 2 illustrates the detail of the quadrilaterals or holes formed by the plant fibre mesh of FIG. 1, using a measuring device to show its size.

[0038] FIG. 3 illustrates the detail of an embodiment of the biodegradable packaging for food according to the present disclosure, with a length device to show the size of the quadrilateral or hole, including: a container body of the packaging made from plant fibre mesh folded over itself; quadrilaterals or holes in the mesh; an opening of the packaging; closing means of the opening, which is a textile fibre; textile band sewn on the outer perimeter of the container body formed by the mesh, to provide reinforcement and consistency to the packaging; and handle of the packaging.

[0039] FIG. 4 illustrates a particular embodiment of the biodegradable packaging for food according to the disclosure with reinforcement textile bands located inside the packaging, one each of its sides. As shown in the figure, the packaging of said particular embodiment consists of a combination of meshes with orifices of different sizes. In addition to the references described above, this figure shows a new reference corresponding to double stitching of the textile band.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In a preferred embodiment of the disclosure, said disclosure relates to a biodegradable packaging for food such as the one shown in FIG. 1, having a food container body (1) made from a sheet that closes on itself, creating an inner compartment and an opening (3) in the manner of a bag, said sheet being made from natural plant fibre mesh (netting) made from jute yarn, lined with corn starch, said mesh having quadrilaterals (2) or holes of a size of 10 mm×10 mm, with a tolerance index of 2%-3%. This size allows good mechanical resistance of the mesh to be achieved without sacrificing being able to see the product inside it.

[0041] The mesh is formed by a cloth made of braided, non-laminated jute yarn, with a width of 80 cm, a basis weight comprised between 97 and 105 gsm, to form the lattice or grid pattern acting as a container body (1), said mesh being treated by corn starch impregnation and subsequent drying, which reduces the malleability of jute, making it more rigid. A solution of 100% natural corn powder in water at 2%-12% is used as the coating starch.

[0042] This biodegradable packaging for food is provided at the opening thereof (3) with closing or self-closing means (4), such as a plant fibre cord (see the embodiment in FIG. 1) or a textile strap (see the embodiment in FIG. 3), gathered in the mesh around said opening (3) or mouth and allowing it to be closed by pulling on the strap or cord.

[0043] Furthermore, the packaging comprises a textile band (5), which is adhered to the outer surface of the mesh, to include legends trademarks or indications on the product contained therein. This textile band (5) is sewn to the mesh. The packaging also comprises a second textile band (6) located on the perimeter of the container body (1), that is, surrounding the entire mesh which folds over itself, acting as a closure and reinforcement of the bag that is formed when the mesh is folded, also improving the appearance and consistency of the packaging. This band (6) may have such an extension that it protrudes from the container body of the packaging forming the mesh to form a handle (7) of the packaging and may be sewn to the mesh by means of a single seam or two seam lines (as shown in FIG. 4).