Location: Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research
Project Number: 3020-43000-034-060-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Mar 1, 2026
End Date: Aug 27, 2027
Objective:
The objective of this research project is to evaluate new sustainable and compostable packaging materials for use in meals ready to eat (MREs) with the objective to identify those that maintain commodity quality attributes and prevent/inhibit infestation by stored product insects throughout the supply chain. This research builds on previous collaborative research projects investigating packaging material properties and their relationship with reducing insect infestation. The need for sustainable and insect resilient packaging is paramount for effectively delivering MREs across a range of environments and environmental conditions with the potential application across stored commodities in the postharvest supply chain around the world.
Approach:
The evaluation of new compostable packaging technologies will involve four different research experiments designed to challenge each packaging type to anticipated field conditions. The first experiment will evaluate resistance of individual package types challenged with four different insect species using a penetration device developed by the USDA. The second experiment will evaluate resistance of individual packages challenged with a suite of stored product insects during storage under controlled environmental conditions at 27 and 32°C. The third experiment will test the overall integrity of the new compostable MRE bags against the control or standard MRE bag during a simulated three-month (12-week) storage period, through a choice assay. Control MREs and the new compatible MRS will be stored together, a suite of insects introduced, and packages will be evaluated for a preference of infestation. The fourth experiment will compare all packaging types simultaneously during storage in a semi-field warehouse for 6 months. Stored product insects will be introduced into the storage warehouse periodically during the storage period. Packaging types will be sub-sampled monthly to identify any loss in quality, insect infestation, and evaluated for packaging integrity.