Review on Polysaccharides Used in Coatings for Food Packaging Papers

Abstract

Paper and board show many advantages as packaging materials, but the current technologies employed to obtain adequate barrier properties for food packaging use synthetic polymers coating and lamination with plastic or aluminium foils—treatments which have a negative impact on packaging sustainability, poor recyclability and lack of biodegradability. Recently, biopolymers have attracted increased attention as paper coatings, which can provide new combinations in composite formulas to meet the requirements of food packaging. The number of studies on biopolymers for developing barrier properties of packaging materials is increasing, but only a few of them are addressed to food packaging paper. Polysaccharides are viewed as the main candidates to substitute oil-based polymers in food paper coating, due to their film forming ability, good affinity for paper substrate, appropriate barrier to gases and aroma, and positive effect on mechanical strength. Additionally, these biopolymers are biodegradable, non-toxic and act as a matrix for incorporation additives with specific functionalities for coated paper (i.e., active-antimicrobial properties). This paper presents an overview on the availability and application of polysaccharides from vegetal and marine biomass in coatings for foods packaging paper. The extraction methods, chemical modification and combination routes of these biopolymers in coatings for paper packaging are discussed.

Synthesis and Characterization of Transparent Biodegradable Chitosan: Exopolysaccharide Composite Films Plasticized by Bio-Derived 1,3-Propanediol

“…Although chitosan is semi-crystalline, the composite films prepared are amorphous, which may be due to the solvent casting method's reorganization. Our results were in agreement with several chitosan and other synthesized composite films [31][32][33][34][35].…”

Plant gums as the functional compounds for edible films and coatings in the food industry: A review

“…Because of hydrophilicity, water insolubility, weak film-forming capability, and high crystallinity of the cellulose, it cannot be utilized in its native form. 55 Cellulose derivatives such as methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), ethylcellulose, hydroxyethyl methylcellulose (HEMC), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxyethylcellulose, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, and cellulose triacetate are commonly synthesized to overcome these defects. Cellulose derivatives are more resistant to microbial growth and enzymatic cleavages in comparison with native cellulose.…”

Emulsions Incorporated in Polysaccharide-Based Active Coatings for Fresh and Minimally Processed Vegetables

“…The addition of EOs to chitosan formulations caused in slight improvement of the water barrier properties, as expected. In fact, several studies reported the enhancement of the water barrier of polysaccharide coatings by the incorporation of non-polar substances [ 123 ]. In this case, chitosan coatings containing the tea tree EO showed the most remarkable antifungal effectiveness for non-damaged fruits (i.e., preventive treatment), whereas the thyme EO-chitosan coatings resulted more effective for previously damaged fruits (i.e., curative treatment).…”