Biopolymers as Food Packaging Materials
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2020) | Viewed by 59489
Special Issue Editors
Interests: industrial enzymology; food biotechnology; hydrocolloid films for food coatings or wrappings.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: food biochemistry; food packaging by active/intelligent coatings; nanocomposites.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: nutrition biochemistry; food technology; biopolymers and biodegradable materials.
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Recent advances in food chemistry, technology, and biotechnology have allowed the tuning of new methodologies useful to address major safety and environmental concerns regarding food packaging materials. Due to the deficiency of oil resources and waste management issues, the recent research trends are switching from synthetic oil-based plastics to biomass-derived biodegradable and non-environmentally harmful polymers. The extremely long degradation period of conventional plastics results in persistent contamination and huge environmental impact. In addition, the presence of various contaminants in the plastics, as well as their possible migration inside the packed food, is a further reason to replace them with biodegradable and/or edible materials. Therefore, the development of new “bio-plastics”, produced from sustainable and renewable resources and suitable for keeping food safe and flavorful for longer periods of time, is a great challenge in both science and industry. As food contact materials, numerous biopolymers—including different carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, or their composite mixtures—are increasingly being proposed as alternatives to conventional petroleum-derived plastics. These biopolymers are applied in various combinations to provide unique properties that ensure the safety and quality of specific packed food products, from processing, handling, and storage to final use by consumers. However, although some of these biomaterials are largely available on the market, there are a number of drawbacks related to both performance and price that still hinder their widespread commercial use. The main restrictions range from their instability and poor mechanical properties to their high permeability to gases and water vapor.
We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to produce biodegradable/edible materials able to coat and preserve specific food products. We are particularly interested in articles describing new modalities to obtain new biomaterials from renewable biomass sources; preparation of new coatings and wrappings endowed with properties tailored for specific foods; development of new processes and strategies to improve food packaging and shelf life; as well as new insights and challenges in food packaging research, application, and commercialization. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Developments in polysaccharide-, protein-, and lipid-based biomaterials;
- Recent advances in structure and characterization of new polysaccharide- and protein-based, as well as composite, biomaterials;
- Latest technologies for recycling industrial biopolymer by-products into food coatings;
- Development of specific biodegradable/edible coatings or wrappings
- for fresh fruits and vegetables,
- for ready-to-eat fresh fruits and vegetables,
- for fish, meat, and poultry,
- for dairy products,
- for baked and fried foods,
- containing active ingredients (flavors, colorants, antioxidants, antimicrobials, etc.) and/or nanoparticles;
- Current marketing aspects of biopolymers as food packaging materials.
Prof. Dr. Raffaele Porta
Prof. Dr. Prospero Di Pierro
Dr. Mohammed Sabbah
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- biopolymers
- biodegradable materials
- edible films
- food packaging
- food shelf life
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