Active Food Packaging Made of Biopolymer-Based Composites

Abstract

Food packaging plays a vital role in protecting food products from environmental damage and preventing contamination from microorganisms. Conventional food packaging made of plastics produced from unrenewable fossil resources is hard to degrade and poses a negative impact on environmental sustainability. Natural biopolymers are attracting interest for reducing environmental problems to achieve a sustainable society, because of their abundance, biocompatibility, biodegradability, chemical stability, and non-toxicity. Active packaging systems composed of these biopolymers and biopolymer-based composites go beyond simply acting as a barrier to maintain food quality. This review provides a comprehensive overview of natural biopolymer materials used as matrices for food packaging. The antioxidant, water barrier, and oxygen barrier properties of these composites are compared and discussed. Furthermore, biopolymer-based composites integrated with antimicrobial agents—such as inorganic nanostructures and natural products—are reviewed, and the related mechanisms are discussed in terms of antimicrobial function. In summary, composites used for active food packaging systems can inhibit microbial growth and maintain food quality.

Mechanical and gas permeability properties of poly(L‐lactic acid)–based films and their application in fresh produce preservation—Review

“…Thus, biodegradable food packaging materials have become an essential and eager demand for the food industry. Varieties of natural and synthetic biodegradable polymers are tentatively being used in packaging applications by many researchers 8–10 . Among those polymers, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a safe and most promising one for primary food packaging due to its outstanding biodegradability and renewability.…”

“…Varieties of natural and synthetic biodegradable polymers are tentatively being used in packaging applications by many researchers. [8][9][10] Among those polymers, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a safe and most promising one for primary food packaging due to its outstanding biodegradability and renewability. There are two optical isomers of synthetic monomer lactic acid (L-lactic acid and D-lactic acid) and three fundamental stereo-configuration of polymer: poly(Llactic acid) (PLLA), its enantiomer poly(D-Lactic acid) (PDLA) and poly(DL-Lactic acid) (PDLLA).…”

Vanillin Cross-Linked Chitosan Film with Controlled Release of Green Tea Polyphenols for Active Food Packaging

“…Previous studies on active packaging have primarily concentrated on the use of traditional polymers or blends between biopolymers and fossil-fuel-derived polymers. − However, a growing body of literature has focused on the use of naturally derived biopolymers to enhance the sustainability of these materials. The use of waste valorization and degradable biopolymers is becoming more popular in the literature as policies move toward circular economy targets. − Chitosan is a highly abundant biopolymer produced by the deacetylation of chitin, a compound that may be extracted from crustacean shells, insect exoskeletons, or fungi cell walls. , Chitosan has been extensively researched for use in active packaging due to its nontoxicity and inherent antimicrobial activity. Indeed, chitosan is approved as a food ingredient by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).…”

“…The use of waste valorization and degradable biopolymers is becoming more popular in the literature as policies move toward circular economy targets. 18 − 20 Chitosan is a highly abundant biopolymer produced by the deacetylation of chitin, a compound that may be extracted from crustacean shells, insect exoskeletons, or fungi cell walls. 21 , 22 Chitosan has been extensively researched for use in active packaging due to its nontoxicity and inherent antimicrobial activity.…”