Themed collection Food Packaging

The dwindling nature, high price of petroleum, concerns about climate change, as well as the ever-growing population are all urging the plastics industries to adapt sustainable natural biopolymers solutions such as PLA and PHAs.

Herein, we aim to summarize the major recent findings in food biodegradable packaging materials that include nanotechnology either directly or indirectly.

The advancement of nanotechnology has provided opportunities for the development of new sensing and food packaging solutions, addressing long-standing challenges to extend shelf-life, reduce waste, assess safety and improve the quality of food.

Natural additives obtained from herbs and spices are being increasingly used in the food packaging industry.

Recent developments in the field of (bio)nanocomposite materials based on inorganic fillers open the way for promising applications in the food packaging sector.

Smart edible coating films can be used in food packaging.

In this study, anthocyanin-rich Chinese bayberry extract (BBE) was added into cassava starch to develop food packaging films with antioxidant and pH-sensitive properties.

The esterification of hemicellulose with citric acid formed cross-linking structure and promoted the hydrophobicity and oxygen barrier performance of films.

Chitosan films blended with stem, leaf and seed extracts of Pistacia terebinthus for active food packaging.

The antimicrobial activity of cinnamon essential oil-based electrospun nanofilm is enhanced by the combination of lysozyme.

Novel, biobased poly(ethylene furanoate-co-ethylene succinate) copolyesters were successfully prepared by melt polycondensation and their solid state structure, melting point depression and biodegradability were evaluated in detail.

Increasing consumer demand for high performance bio-based materials in order to develop microbiologically safer foods has forced the food industry to revise their packaging strategies.

A “super surface” with superhydrophobic, self-cleaning and bactericidal properties for use in medical devices, instruments and microfluidics is presented.

This article reports the preparation, by means of a masterbatch procedure, of poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) films via premixing 1% wt of CNC into PLA or glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) grafted PLA (g-PLA).

Current packaging materials face environmental and disposal issues, and as a result, developing eco-friendly and bio-based nanocomposites as alternatives has motivated academic and industrial research.

Cellulose/curcumin composite films with good transparency, mechanical properties and antibacterial activity were prepared with an ionic liquid AmimCl. These composite films, made entirely from natural resources, can be considered as a novel kind of functional film and could find applications in food packaging and medical fields.