Edible and biodegradable packaging for food storage

Oscar S. Ramos, F. Xavier Malcata*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

An increased interest has arisen in recent years regarding biodegradable materials for food packaging - not only because packaging is unavoidable for food storage due to the intrinsically perishable nature of food (while accounting for a major cost of the final product), but chiefly because stricter and stricter regulations have been faced by disposal of spent packages following food consumption. Synthetic polymers obtained from petroleum have been the classical choice for food packaging, because of their low cost and suitable mechanical features; however, they take too long to spontaneously decay, so they will eventually constitute a serious burden to the environment. Hence, biodegradable polymers have been sought - e.g. those produced from renewable raw materials or synthesized by microorganisms. Due the intrinsic nature of the packaged feedstock at stake, edibility of the packaging material itself would be an extra (and convenient) advantage for packaged food. Biopolymers with a potential in this particular encompass polysaccharides, proteins and lipids, and composites thereof - derived from plant or animal sources; typical examples of edible films encompass those manufactured from starch, chitosan and whey proteins - all of which are readily available from industrial byproducts of agrofood and fishery processing. Such materials can function as effective barriers to moisture, gas and aroma migration, between adjacent food components and/or between the food and the outer environment - thus contributing to extend the shelf-life of said food throughout storage. However, these renewable materials can also serve other purposes with an associated high-added value, viz. carrying of antimicrobial, antioxidant and other nutraceutical ingredients; in such active packages, the intended primary barrier and mechanical properties of the films are not significantly compromised by said additives. All the above issues are addressed in this chapter, in a pedagogical, yet critical manner. The variety of edible and biodegradable packages available to date, and formulated to respond to specific end-user needs is thoroughly considered.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationFood storage
PublisherNova Science Publishers, Inc.
Pages135-170
Number of pages36
ISBN (Print)9781612099163
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2011

Keywords

  • Barrier properties
  • Bioactive properties
  • Biopolymers
  • Edible
  • Packaging
  • Physicochemical properties

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