ANTIMICROBIAL | ADDITIVES


can include air conditioner, vacuum cleaner, and washing machine parts. The company said the inorganic additive is a silica-based glass containing metal ions (for example silver, zinc). It has been found to be effective in a range of polymers, including PVC, polyolefins, polyamide, polystyrene, and ABS and maintains its antimicrobial performance in the long term, as verified through durability tests conducted according to SIAA standards. The company says it is also designed to minimise discoloration of applied materials under environmental stressors such as high temperature, humidity, or UV exposure. Recently, LGE’s silver-containing glass product


received approval for listing under Article 95 of the EU BPR from the ECHA. The product will be listed in categories PT 2 (disinfectants), PT 4 (food and feed area), PT 7 (film preservatives), and PT 9 (preserva- tives for fibre, leather, rubber and polymerised materials), thereby establishing a legal foundation for market entry into Europe across various sectors. LGE aims to launch the product in October at K 2025.


Silver and copper Nanox, headquartered in Brazil, has developed a range of innovative silver-based products that are engineered to be incorporated into plastic com- pounds, providing long-lasting protection against a wide spectrum of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. “Antimicrobial applications in the plastic market


are rapidly evolving, driven by increasing demand for hygiene and safety,” said Gustavo Pagotto, Co-founder and CEO of Nanox. He noted an increasing demand for antimicrobial food and beverage packaging as well as pharmaceutical packaging. Personal-care products and frequently- touched electronics continue to be important applications. In addition, Pagotto sees expansion into the construction industry, with integration into building materials and HVAC systems. The products are US EPA-registered and have


FDA approval for use in food contact materials. They are also registered in Europe and Brazil and compliant with regulatory requirements of several countries. Cupron, based in Virginia, US, provides patent-


ed, copper-based antimicrobial formulations for a range of products. The company partnered with compounder Techmer PM, which provides compounds and masterbatches with the additive, including a recently launched custom-colour Cupron technology for the fibre market, said Kaan Serpersu, Director of Technology and Sustainabil- ity, at Techmer PM.


Serpersu commented more broadly on trends in www.compoundingworld.com


Freshr Sustainable Technologies is using a novel, patent-pending antimicrobial coating for packaging to extend shelf-life of fresh proteins such as salmon


Active packaging with an antimicrobial film coating


Freshr Sustainable Technologies is a Canadian start-up with a novel, patent-pending antimicrobial coating designed to extend shelf life and reduce food waste. The technology involves highly charged microparticles composed of natural active ingredients that inhibit the growth of bacteria via charge differences. The microparti- cles are chemically anchored to a plastic film surface post-extrusion, via a green-chemistry-based roll-to-roll coating. The active ingredient works on contact and does not migrate out of the film, into the food. As a first test case, film using the coating has been demonstrated to inhibit bacterial growth to extend the shelf-life of salmon by adding two to four days to a typical 14-day shelf-life in a cold chain. The coating has broad potential for other food packaging films, said Mina Mekhail, Co-Founder and CEO of Freshr. It has been tested on a wide range of plastic films, including an industrially compostable film and polyethylene. The company is seeking regulatory approvals for food-contact applications, beginning with Health Canada and the US FDA. Freshr has built its first pilot production line capable of coating 200,000 m2


of film per year. “This is a relatively small quantity that


we will use for testing and early revenue, and we are looking to scale up to a much larger coating line,” said Mekhail. This May, Diamond Edge Ventures, which is the corporate


venture arm of Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG), announced an investment in Freshr that will accelerate Freshr’s technology scale-up and global expansion. “Partnering with Mitsubishi Chemical Group is a tremendous


opportunity to scale our sustainable active packaging innovations globally. MCG’s deep expertise in materials science and food packaging solutions will help us accelerate the adoption of our FreshrPack technology in the fresh protein sector,” said Mekhail.


July 2025 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 17


IMAGE: FRESHR


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