Biopolymer films and the effects of added lipids, nanoparticles and antimicrobials on their mechanical and barrier properties: a review

Abstract

Summary Packaging made from biodegradable biopolymers such as proteins, polysaccharides and lipids is a promising alternative to synthetic polymers. Films made from these biopolymers exhibit certain disadvantages in terms of their mechanical, barrier and physicochemical properties. Plasticisers, nanoparticles, lipids and antimicrobial compounds can be added to them to improve these properties. The tendency of biopolymer films to brittleness can be mitigated by adding plasticisers and/or nanoparticles. These films also tend to have high water vapour permeability, which can be reduced by adding lipids and/or nanoparticles. Incorporating natural compounds with antimicrobial activity into biopolymer films can provide them the advantages of maintaining food safety and extending shelf life. Addition of plasticisers, nanoparticles, lipids and/or antimicrobial compounds to biopolymer films can help to make them comparable to conventional synthetic films with the advantages that they reduce pollution and are biodegradable.

Optimised condition for preparing sea cucumber ovum hydrolysate–calcium complex and its structural analysis

“…Particle size, one of the important physical characteristics of composites, depends on the volume of the particles (Castro-rosas et al, 2016). The size distribution of the SCOHs and SCOHs-Ca complexes was determined by DLS and shown in Fig.…”

Impact of Sweet Potato Starch-Based Nanocomposite Films Activated With Thyme Essential Oil on the Shelf-Life of Baby Spinach Leaves

“…Recently, biodegradable films made of biopolymers have become more attractive for food packaging as an alternative to typical commercial plastic packaging [ 6 ]. Many types of biopolymers such as corn starch, wheat gluten, chitosan, soy, and whey proteins have been used for biodegradable packaging.…”

Prospects for Replacement of Some Plastics in Packaging with Lignocellulose Materials: A Brief Review

“…However, those products can generate substantial waste disposal problems due to their lack of biodegradability. A lot of research and development activities have been carried out to make cellulose-based materials; these have achieved advantages such as biodegradability and barrier properties for packaging (Castro-Rosas et al 2016;Shi et al 2016;Urbina et al 2016;Zhang et al 2016;Chen et al 2017;Ferrer et al 2017;Hubbe et al 2017). Four types of barrier performance often studied relative to packaging film requirements include grease and water resistance, as well as oxygen and water vapor barrier properties, as shown in Fig.…”