Biodegradable Polymers for Food Packing – Factors Influencing their Degradation and Certification Types – a Comprehensive Review

Abstract

In this paper an overview of novel biodegradable polymers for food packaging is presented. The aim was to present factors influencing polymer degradation and biodegradation in various environments. It was noted that biodegradable polymers are an imperfect alternative for classical polymers and their decomposition strongly depends on degradation environment. It was also shown that there are various approaches in different countries to certification of biodegradable polymer materials, which rather complicates its application than promotes it.

Bio-based packaging used in food processing: A critical review

“…and lipids. They can be used alone or mixed with a biodegradable synthetic polymer such as polycaprolactone (PCL) or other biodegradable polyesters such as polylactic acid (PLA) (Guzman et al, 2011;Rameshkumar et al, 2020). These materials used in the production of food packaging have good gas barrier properties (Avérous and Pollet, 2012).…”

“…It is obtained from various sources such as cassava, potato, corn, wheat, rice, sweet potato (Whistler and BeMiller, 2007). It is composed of amylose and amylopectin which ratios vary with the source of the starch (Guzman et al, 2011). Several studies have shown that starch is a thermoplastic material (TPS) and can be used to replace polystyrene (PS) which is a non-biodegradable compound.…”

Starch-based foam composite materials: Processing and bioproducts

“…10 Furthermore, as a matrix material, starch tends to become brittle with age due to dehydration and free volume relaxation. Nevertheless, by combining starch with other biodegradable components, starch-based composites with excellent functional properties have been developed.…”

“…[5][6][7] Starch itself continues to be extensively investigated as a replacement for plastics used in single-use food and beverage containers because of its compatibility with the environment. [8][9][10] It is a renewable resource that degrades readily in composting conditions and in many landscape and aquatic environments. It is easily metabolized by micro-organisms and mammals alike and therefore does not accumulate in the food chain the same way as plastics, especially in marine environments.…”

Preparation, Characterization and Anti-Bacterial Activity of Zinc Oxide-Gelatin Nanocomposite Film for Food Packaging Applications

“…These polymers stay long within the environment after the final use creating significant environmental pollution. This demands to explore new biodegradable packaging materials from renewable sources and it became a topic of great interest in the recent past [1][2][3] .…”