The ITENE Technology Center is developing, within the BIOMATICA project, a bioinformatics platform based on Artificial Intelligence, bioinformatics models, and computational modeling to predict the behavior of packaging materials and coatings. The goal is to anticipate end-of-life options, environmental impact, and certain properties related to safety and functionality, facilitating the design and selection of more sustainable, circular, and safe materials from the earliest development stages.
These investigations are carried out as part of the BIOMATICA project (IMIDSA/2026/37), which has the support of the Generalitat Valenciana’s Department of Industry, Tourism, Innovation and Commerce, through IVACE+i, and is funded by the European Union through the Feder Comunitat Valenciana 2021-2027 Program. The solution, developed between May 2026 and December 2027, will allow integrating in a single tool models capable of predicting biodegradability, compostability, recyclability, ecotoxicity, and antimicrobial activity of different materials.
Challenges This Valencian Project Aims to Solve
Today, the development of more sustainable packaging materials requires considering from the earliest design stages aspects related to their end-of-life performance, environmental impact and the new demands for circularity. However, the tools available to evaluate these parameters are fragmented, making it difficult to have an integrated view that facilitates decision-making during the development of new materials.
In this context, BIOMATICA will integrate three prediction modules: one focused on the end-of-life of materials, with models for biodegradability, compostability and recyclability; another centered on environmental impact, by predicting the ecotoxicity of materials, leachates and degradation products; and a third focused on safety and functionality, using antimicrobial activity models with applications in food defense.
To this end, ITENE will collect and analyze information on materials, polymers, additives, enzymes, and microorganisms, which will be used to develop Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and bioinformatics tools able to relate material characteristics to their behavior along the life cycle.
The models developed will be integrated into a platform that will enable users to compare end-of-life scenarios, generate reports, and issue risk alerts, via an interface tailored to different user profiles. Its predictions will be validated against experimental data obtained under controlled and semi-industrial conditions using conventional plastics, bioplastics, and cellulosic materials. In addition, the tool will be validated in collaboration with companies to verify its usefulness in real decision-making processes.
“With BIOMATICA, we aim to move toward a predictive approach that enables incorporating circularity criteria, environmental impact, and safety from the earliest design stages of materials. The integration of artificial intelligence, bioinformatics models, and experimental data will provide more information to select the alternatives with the greatest potential before advancing to development and validation phases,” explains Javier Alcodori, ITENE Project Manager.
The tool will find applications in sectors such as packaging, polymers and compounds, recycling, functional coatings, biotechnology, and waste management, facilitating “circular by design” strategies and the selection of materials with better end-of-life options and lower environmental impact.
