Citronella as an insect repellent in food packaging.

Of five commercial plant extracts (citronella, garlic oil, neem extract, pine oil, and pyrethrum), citronella was found to be effective in deterring the infestation of cartons containing muesli and wheat germ by red flour beetles. The chemical components were applied as part of a coating on the carton board. In an experimental set up that accelerates infestation over a 2 week period, citronella-treated cartons (0.

High-humidity performance of paperboard after treatment with xylanase, endoglucanse, and their combination.

For paperboard used to produce packaging, treatment of its fiber constituents with commercial enzymes can improve its compressive strength under cycling and high-humidity conditions. Xylanase that selectively removes pulp xylan (ca. 2% of the pulp by mass) yielded most of the observed beneficial effects, which did not appear related to the packing of the fiber network in the sheet or to the uptake of moisture at high humidity.