Jan. 13 – Riccardo De Leo for all intents and purposes represents Italian excellence in the world. The recent University of Modena and Reggio Emilia graduate has received an award from the European Federation of Food Science and Technology for his thesis. The focus was on the improvement of plastic films used in food packaging, and on the creation of 100% bio-edible film to reduce global plastic waste. The research, entitled “Increased self life using edible and pectin-based antimicrobials films,” was carried out under the supervision of Professor Andrea Pulvirenti of the Department of Life Sciences. De Leo did a thorough job on the production and improvement of bio-edible film based on the use of citrus waste. Basically the study shows how the use of pectin in the films for food makes them 100% biodegradable and possibly edible. The research is important as every year tons of plastic films intended for food packaging are produced, with increased costs and a parallel increase in pollution due to improper plastics processing and waste disposal. The Prize of the European Federation of Food Science and Technology to De Leo, who now attends the Doctorate School of Science, Technology and Agro-Food Biotechnology, allowed the young researcher to participate and present his work at the Federation’s congress, held last November at the Uppsala Konsert and Kongress in Sweden.
