BRIN Develops Packaging Paper with Vegetable Oil-Based Coating

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta: Paper-based food packaging has become increasingly popular for take-out meals and beverages due to its practicality, light weight, and affordability. While considered biodegradable, most paper packaging is coated with plastic to prevent leakage, creating a major sustainability challenge.

Plastic coatings, such as polyethylene, are effective at repelling water and oil, but they make packaging difficult to recycle or compost. Components in the plastic, including plasticizers, can also migrate into food and drinks, raising health concerns.

Recognizing this problem, Junior Researcher Zatil Afrah Athaillah from the Center for Molecular Chemistry Research at the Indonesian National Agency for Research and Innovation (BRIN) began exploring greener alternatives.

Since early 2025, she and her team have been developing vegetable-oil-based coatings that are both food-safe and environmentally friendly.

“Plastic coatings serve an essential function, but they pose problems in food safety and sustainability,” Zatil said in a statement released by BRIN in Jakarta on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

Her team tested several oils, including walnut, candlenut, soybean, and linseed. These oils successfully formed protective layers on paper surfaces, unlike palm or olive oil, which allowed seepage.

The basic test involved dripping water and oil onto coated paper for 60 minutes. If no stains or leakage appeared, the coating was considered effective.

Microscopic analysis showed that water droplets on oil-coated paper remained rounded, with contact angles close to 90 degrees, indicating hydrophobicity.

Strength tests revealed that the coated paper was not only flexible but in some cases stronger than untreated paper. BRIN registered a patent for the method in 2025 under its Nanotechnology and Materials Research Organization program.

Zatil explained that the current results are still in the form of coated sheets rather than finished packaging products. She plans to continue research to determine whether the coating affects the taste or aroma of beverages such as coffee and tea.

She is also interested in experimenting with natural lipids from leaves and fruit peels, which are often discarded as waste. “Leaves and fruit skins contain natural lipids. If they can be used as coating materials, it would be very interesting because they come from waste,” she said.

If successful, the innovation could mark a significant step toward truly eco-friendly paper food packaging, reducing reliance on petroleum-based plastics and making the culinary industry greener. ***