Sustainable and eco-friendly bacterial cellulose production using agro-forest waste for food packaging applications: a review

Abstract

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer with several unique properties, including high purity, crystallinity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and excellent mechanical strength. However, high production costs, mainly due to expensive culture media, limit large-scale industrial use. The European Union Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) aims for all packaging placed on the EU market to be recyclable in an economically viable manner by the year 2030, which requires compostability for specific categories and limits certain single-use plastic formats. As such, the packaging industry urgently requires truly circular barrier materials. This review explores the potential of agro-forest waste as a sustainable and cost-effective carbon source for BC production, aiming to reduce both cost and environmental impact. Studies have highlighted successful BC production from agricultural and forest waste materials such as tree bark, fruit leaves, waste brewed tea, and ground coffee. Despite promising results, research on producing BC from agro-forest wastes specifically for food packaging remains limited. BC is considered suitable for food packaging due to its ultrafine network, high surface area, and strong mechanical properties. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive studies, particularly those applying life cycle assessment (LCA), to evaluate the circular economy and environmental impact of different BC production methods. By providing insights into BC production from agro-forest waste and its application in food packaging, this review considers the development of sustainable and economically viable production processes. It also describes the untapped potential of agro-forest waste valorization in advancing environmentally friendly biopolymer alternatives for packaging solutions.