Bionanocomposites for active and smart food packaging: A review on its application, safety, and health aspects

Abstract

In recent years, the concept of plastic replacement and its optimal solution has commenced in the food-packaging sector. In that line, integrating nanotechnology with food packaging to improve material properties, aligned with the concept of active and intelligent packaging, has attracted consumer and industry attention. This review outlines the basics of bionanocomposites (BNCs), processing techniques, and their corresponding functions in innovative packaging techniques. The barrier, thermal, mechanical, and functional properties of film and their application in different food products have been summarized. In addition, the migration properties, safety, and health aspects of the latest findings of various BNC films have been discussed. It has been observed that the addition of fillers in BNC matrix improves the overall physical and functional properties of the film. In addition, BNC is used as a smart indicator to signify the product quality during transportation and storage. However, this review connotes the need for more research on migration and health aspects of the human body and implied the requirement to select BNC for specific food matrices. Practical ApplicationThe effective action of nanotechnology in the field of food packaging was attempted to improve the material properties, aligned with the concept of active and intelligent packaging. The inclusion of nano-sized particles into the organic matrices widely influenced its barrier, thermal, mechanical, and functional properties of the film.BNCs are also used as a smart indicator to indicate product quality throughout the storage and transportation. This article summarizes the basics of BNC, their processing techniques and functions in innovative packaging techniques, and their application in different food products. In addition, the migration properties, safety, and health aspects of the latest findings of various BNC films have been discussed in detail. This study will help researchers and industry experts to select the BNC for specific food matrices to improve the quality and safety of food product and human health.

Recent trends in the application of films and coatings based on starch, cellulose, chitin, chitosan, xanthan, gellan, pullulan, Arabic gum, alginate, pectin, and carrageenan in food packaging

“…The alginate-and carrageenan-based films are commonly produced by employing a solution casting approach, and it has been reported that the neat films are brittle, and physical properties (mechanical, barrier, and hydrophobicity) are relatively weak for food packaging purposes (Roy & Rhim, 2020d;Santos et al, 2022a;Wang et al, 2023). Therefore, to enhance the physical and functional performances of both films, usually plasticizers, other polymers, crosslinkers, and bioactive functional ingredients (nanofillers, plant extract, bioactive compounds, natural colorant, and EOs) are usually added into the film-forming formulation (Bose et al, 2023;Fadiji et al, 2023;Ghosh et al, 2023;Kishore et al, 2023;Roy, Ezati, et al, 2023;Roy, Zhang, et al, 2023). The combination of other polymers and the addition of plasticizers and cross-linkers are highly effective to improve the packaging films' physical properties; on the flip side, the incorporation of functional additives helps to impart the antioxidant, antimicrobial activity into the film (Khan, Priyadarshi, et al, 2023;Tran et al, 2020;.…”

Innovative Packaging Strategies for Freshness and Safety of Food Products: A Review

“…[90] and Kishore et al [91] precisely summarized the use of nanostructured materials in food packaging. Due to their increased surface-to-volume ratio and quantum-confined structures, the nanomaterials possess unique and peculiar properties.…”

Recent Progress of Carrageenan-Based Composite Films in Active and Intelligent Food Packaging Applications

“…Carrageenan-based films are generally produced using solvent casting, and although the films are neat and brittle, their physical properties (mechanical, barrier, and hydrophobic) are relatively weak, so they are reported to be used for food packaging [30][31][32]. Therefore, to improve the physical and functional performance of the film, certain substances such as plasticizers, other polymers, crosslinkers, and bioactive functional ingredients (nanofillers, plant extracts, bioactive compounds, natural colorants, essential oils) are incorporated into the filmforming solution to produce favorable results [2,[33][34][35][36][37]. Combination with other substances, such as crosslinkers and plasticizers, can work synergistically to improve the physical properties of packaging films.…”