Can you tell us how your mineral microspheres technology has evolved over the last couple of years?
‘Over the past years, Pylote has developed innovative mineral microspheres using a unique and patented manufacturing process called Pyrolyse Pulvérisée® and as a result we have developed solutions which can be integrated into numerous consumer products.’
‘Introduced to the market a year ago, PYCLEAR TM PRESERVATION has been designed to help the food industry prolong the shelf life of food products and reducing food waste.’
‘We enable our clients, who operate in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food or industrial markets, to offer more eco-friendly products to end-consumers, products that are greener, cleanerand safer.’
Which challenges does this technology help food quality and operations managers to overcome?
‘PYCLEAR TM PRESERVATION is the first complete breakthrough solution to reducing food preservatives and prolonging product shelf life in the food industry. One of the main added value contributions of this innovation is the capacity to reduce food wastage. It is mainly suited for many food products where the shelf-life prolongation effect is directly integrated in to the Pylote added packaging (i.e.plastic film between two salmon slices) due to the Pylote’s antimicrobial effect.’
‘Integrating our innovative technology in food packaging offers food manufacturing companies a way to reduce or even avoid the use of food preservatives, without any change in the actual manufacturing process. As a result the products are cleaner, safer and fulfill food Contact Commission regulations.‘
What is innovative about the technology you have developed?
‘Our solution uses 100% ceramic and compliant micron-sized spheres (nano-free and silver-free) to ensure a permanent antimicrobial effect integrated into the packaging. This antimicrobial activity does not decrease over time and does not get influenced by different storage conditions. It increases the shelf life of food products without changing the actual manufacturing processes.’
What other technologies related to food packaging are you working on?
‘Our technology can be used to increase a product’s shelf life and also to reduce the contamination level of industrial lines, leading to cleaner products, which is another way to reduce the use of food preservatives and increase food product shelf life.’
‘We have also developed a second technology for the food market, called PYCLEAR TM DURATION. This technology is uses 100% ceramic microspheres to encapsulate different types of molecules, and could be used for example to avoid any colorant molecule transfer from an external printed layer to the food product.’
From a food packaging perspective, what are your predictions for the next 3-5 years?
‘The food packaging market is expected to grow in the coming years. Since the food industry is driven by the consumer needs, it will face more and more challenges regarding the potent side effects of food preservatives/additives.’