Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, there is worldwide concern about the environment; in particular, there is growing concern related to plastic consumption, due to it being non-biodegradable. Edible films and coatings are an alternative to pretroleum-derived plastics. These new materials are designed by using natural polymers such as carbohydrates, proteins, oils, etc., and can be developed as films or coatings. Usually, films are prepared using the casting technique and their mechanical and barrier properties will be defined by the composition of the material; a plasticizer can be added to improve their plasticity. Conversely, coatings are obtained when a film forming solution is applied to a surface, creating a thin layer that can act as a barrier to protect the food. Improving the mechanical and barrier properties of films and coatings is recommended in order to be able to combine different biopolymers such as proteins and polysaccharides, but also to be able to make a chemical modification of natural proteins or polysaccharides and an enzymatic reticulation between the polymer chains. Moreover, edible films and coatings can be considered as active or intelligent packaging due to their ability to protect and enhance food shelf-life.

For these considerations, it is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue. The present additional Special Issue is a result of a successful first issue.

The aim of the present Special Issue is to present the latest developments in this field through research and review papers.  The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• New proteins and or polysaccharides with film forming properties;
• Protein-based films, polysaccharides-based films, lipid-based films, and their mixtures;
• The effect of protein–protein or protein–polysaccharides interactions on film properties;
• Film and coatings surface functionalization;
• New plasticizers;
• The stabilization of film-forming solutions for industrial application;
• The methodology to synthesizing nanoparticles from biopolymers and their uses as containers for active compounds;
• Edible films and coatings for food packaging;
• Biopolymers to make active and intelligent packaging;
• Methodologies for making edible/biodegradable films;
• Methodologies for coating food surfaces;
• Biosensors for making intelligent packaging.

Prof. Dr. Prospero Di Pierro
Dr. Giovanna Rossi-Marquez
Dr. Cristian Davalos-Saucedo
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

• Edible film and coatings
• Nanocomposites
• Food shelf life
• Active coating
• Intelligent coating
• Encapsulation