Green Design of Novel Starch-Based Packaging Materials Sustaining Human and Environmental Health

Abstract

A critical overview of current approaches to the development of starch-containing packaging, integrating the principles of green chemistry (GC), green technology (GT) and green nanotechnology (GN) with those of green packaging (GP) to produce materials important for both us and the planet is given. First, as a relationship between GP and GC, the benefits of natural bioactive compounds are analyzed and the state-of-the-art is updated in terms of the starch packaging incorporating green chemicals that normally help us to maintain health, are environmentally friendly and are obtained via GC. Newer approaches are identified, such as the incorporation of vitamins or minerals into films and coatings. Second, the relationship between GP and GT is assessed by analyzing the influence on starch films of green physical treatments such as UV, electron beam or gamma irradiation, and plasma; emerging research areas are proposed, such as the use of cold atmospheric plasma for the production of films. Thirdly, the approaches on how GN can be used successfully to improve the mechanical properties and bioactivity of packaging are summarized; current trends are identified, such as a green synthesis of bionanocomposites containing phytosynthesized metal nanoparticles. Last but not least, bioinspiration ideas for the design of the future green packaging containing starch are presented.

Bioactive Edible Films and Coatings Based in Gums and Starch: Phenolic Enrichment and Foods Application

“…In general, starch has more amylopectin abundance than amylose although this ratio depends on the starch origin, resulting in a range of granules crystallinities [64,65]. Starch can be found in potato, cassava, wheat, rice, corn, maize, bean and in other sources [2,64]. In the food industry, starch is used in food packaging as coatings or films produced mainly by extrusion and casting [2].…”

“…Starch can be found in potato, cassava, wheat, rice, corn, maize, bean and in other sources [2,64]. In the food industry, starch is used in food packaging as coatings or films produced mainly by extrusion and casting [2]. In the manufacture of starch edible coatings, amylose is preferred over amylopectin [66].…”

“…According to Adeyeye and co-workers [1], "Packaging is all products that are of any nature and used as the containment, handling, protection, presentation, and delivery of goods from the raw materials state to the processed goods and from the producers to the consumers." Therefore, food packaging is responsible for the containment and protection of food from spoilage, contributing to its validity, and should protect against microbial, chemical and environmental contaminants in assuring food quality and safety and increasing the shelf life of food products [2,3]. However, conventional plastics used for food packaging have some production and environmental issues due to the fact they are based on petroleum, are non-renewable or non-degradable, emit greenhouse gases and present a severe waste disposal concern [1,4,5].…”

“…However, conventional plastics used for food packaging have some production and environmental issues due to the fact they are based on petroleum, are non-renewable or non-degradable, emit greenhouse gases and present a severe waste disposal concern [1,4,5]. Therefore, it is important to develop new packaging materials that are more sustainable and "green" with the same functions as conventional packaging [1,2,6,7].…”

Functionality and Applicability of Starch-Based Films: An Eco-Friendly Approach

“…A recent study published this year has shown that the research on "starch food packaging" is still beginning, based on the low number of studies published in the last decade in Web of Science [24]. Therefore, starch-based coatings and packaging still represent a challenging issue-how to make it an intelligent and active, actually a smart packaging material [25][26][27][28].…”