Food Packaging Bionanocomposites

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanocomposite Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 18846

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Via, E. Orabona, 4-70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: nanomaterial (electrochemical) synthesis; surface characterization (XPS); nanomaterials/nanocomposites in packaging; biomedical devices; cultural heritage

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: XPS catalysts characterization; electrochemistry; nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Recent developments in nanoscience and nanotechnology are impacting the food industry more and more. In particular, research on innovative food packaging materials is receiving great attention as a powerful tool to extend the shelf life of food products, preserve their characteristics, improve food safety, and reduce food waste due to spoilage. Active packaging and intelligent packaging are new concepts, born from a deeper understanding of the interactions between food and its environment: packaging is endowed with properties not only able to preserve food quality, but also to monitor its status and warn about problems.

This Special Issue is devoted to the development of bio-based nanocomposites to be used in food packaging applications. The term “bionanocomposite” refers to nanocomposites including a naturally occurring polymer (biopolymer) mixed with inorganic solids and exhibiting at least one dimension on the nanometer scale. Such hybrid materials are designed to be invaluable for their environmental sustainability and for the multifunctional properties they can exhibit, such as biodegradability, antimicrobial activity, mechanical and thermal characteristics, and high barrier properties against the diffusion of oxygen, carbon dioxide, flavor compounds, and water vapor. For this Special Issue, we invite contributions on innovative preparation and processing technologies to obtain bio-based polymer nanocomposites with enhanced food packaging performance, as well as different characterization approaches and application cases.

Full-size articles, short communications, and reviews are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Sabbatini Luigia
Dr. Nicoletta Ditaranto
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. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2900 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

  • nanocomposites
  • food packaging
  • active packaging
  • bio-based polymers
  • antimicrobial nanocomposites

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

22 pages, 9225 KiB  
Article
Antibacterial Biodegradable Films Based on Alginate with Silver Nanoparticles and Lemongrass Essential Oil–Innovative Packaging for Cheese
by Ludmila Motelica, Denisa Ficai, Ovidiu-Cristian Oprea, Anton Ficai, Vladimir-Lucian Ene, Bogdan-Stefan Vasile, Ecaterina Andronescu and Alina-Maria Holban
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(9), 2377; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11092377 - 13 Sep 2021
Cited by 86 | Viewed by 5636
Abstract
Replacing the petroleum-based materials in the food industry is one of the main objectives of the scientists and decision makers worldwide. Biodegradable packaging will help diminish the environmental impact of human activity. Improving such biodegradable packaging materials by adding antimicrobial activity will not [...] Read more.
Replacing the petroleum-based materials in the food industry is one of the main objectives of the scientists and decision makers worldwide. Biodegradable packaging will help diminish the environmental impact of human activity. Improving such biodegradable packaging materials by adding antimicrobial activity will not only extend the shelf life of foodstuff, but will also eliminate some health hazards associated with food borne diseases, and by diminishing the food spoilage will decrease the food waste. The objective of this research was to obtain innovative antibacterial films based on a biodegradable polymer, namely alginate. Films were characterized by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and microscopy, complex thermal analysis (TG-DSC-FTIR), UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Water vapor permeability and swelling behavior were also determined. As antimicrobial agents, we used silver spherical nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and lemongrass essential oil (LGO), which were found to act in a synergic way. The obtained films exhibited strong antibacterial activity against tested strains, two Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) and two Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhi). Best results were obtained against Bacillus cereus. The tests indicate that the antimicrobial films can be used as packaging, preserving the color, surface texture, and softness of cheese for 14 days. At the same time, the color of the films changed (darkened) as a function of temperature and light presence, a feature that can be used to monitor the storage conditions for sensitive food. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Packaging Bionanocomposites)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

34 pages, 2302 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in the Development of Smart and Active Biodegradable Packaging Materials
by Mahmood Alizadeh Sani, Maryam Azizi-Lalabadi, Milad Tavassoli, Keyhan Mohammadi and David Julian McClements
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1331; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11051331 - 18 May 2021
Cited by 91 | Viewed by 12451
Abstract
Interest in the development of smart and active biodegradable packaging materials is increasing as food manufacturers try to improve the sustainability and environmental impact of their products, while still maintaining their quality and safety. Active packaging materials contain components that enhance their functionality, [...] Read more.
Interest in the development of smart and active biodegradable packaging materials is increasing as food manufacturers try to improve the sustainability and environmental impact of their products, while still maintaining their quality and safety. Active packaging materials contain components that enhance their functionality, such as antimicrobials, antioxidants, light blockers, or oxygen barriers. Smart packaging materials contain sensing components that provide an indication of changes in food attributes, such as alterations in their quality, maturity, or safety. For instance, a smart sensor may give a measurable color change in response to a deterioration in food quality. This article reviews recent advances in the development of active and smart biodegradable packaging materials in the food industry. Moreover, studies on the application of these packaging materials to monitor the freshness and safety of food products are reviewed, including dairy, meat, fish, fruit and vegetable products. Finally, the potential challenges associated with the application of these eco-friendly packaging materials in the food industry are discussed, as well as potential future directions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Packaging Bionanocomposites)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop