Biopolymer-Based Coatings for Sustainable and Functional Food Packaging
A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Coatings for Food Technology and System".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 800
Special Issue Editors
Interests: biomass-derived materials for functional food packaging applications
Interests: food packaging design; active packaging; shelf life; modified atmosphere packaging; biopolymer coating and film
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The growing demand for sustainable food packaging has intensified research into advanced coating materials and technologies. Among the various strategies explored, biopolymer-based coatings have emerged as particularly promising solutions due to their renewability, biodegradability, and inherent compatibility with food-contact applications. These coatings play a critical role in enhancing the functionality of packaging systems by improving barrier performance, extending shelf life, and contributing to food quality and safety, while simultaneously reducing environmental burdens.
Biopolymers such as polysaccharides, proteins, and other bio-based macromolecules offer versatile platforms for the design of functional coatings. Owing to their tuneable chemical structures and rich surface functionalities, biopolymer-based coatings can be engineered to impart a wide range of properties, including antimicrobial activity, antioxidant capacity, enhanced gas and moisture barrier performance, and responsiveness to environmental stimuli.
This Special Issue aims to present recent advances in biopolymer-based coatings for sustainable and functional food packaging, covering fundamental research, processing strategies, and application-driven studies. Contributions exploring innovative biopolymer materials, functionalization approaches, coating architectures, and their impacts on packaging performance are particularly welcome. Both experimental and review articles providing new insights into the development and implementation of biopolymer coatings in food packaging systems are encouraged.
Researchers working in related fields are invited to submit original research articles and reviews addressing topics such as the following:
- Biopolymer materials for food packaging coatings;
- Functional coatings (e.g., antimicrobial, antioxidant, barrier-enhancing, fast-dissolving);
- Structure–property relationships of biopolymer coatings;
- Coating technologies and processing methods.
Dr. Peifu Kong
Prof. Dr. Elena Torrieri
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- biopolymer-based coatings
- sustainable food packaging
- functional coatings
- coating technologies
- structure–property relationships
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