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Applications of Biopolymer-Based Composites in Food Technology

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 745

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: food analysis; food quality; food safety; food chemistry; food composition; food microbiology; fermentation process; biodegradation; food biotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Enzymology and Applied Biocatalysis Research Center, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babeș-Bolyai University, Arany János Street 11, RO-400028 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: lipase; organic chemistry; synthetic organic chemistry; synthetic medicinal chemistry; heterocyclic compounds; medicinal chemistry; medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry; biotransformation; enzymes; immobilization; catalysis

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Manastur 3–5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: food biotechnology; food fermentation; bioactivity of natural extracts and chemical synthesized compounds; immobilization and microinjection of enzymes and microorganisms; microencapsulated bioactive powders; in vitro gastrointestinal digestions; developing innovative functional foods; food science; molecular gastronomy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Perishable food products such as fresh fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish, and cheese are essential components of people's daily meals. Food packaging films, micro-encapsulation, spherification, and other biopolymer protective covers can enhance the longevity of perishable food by offering safeguarding and barriers. This Special Issue focuses on the transformative applications of biopolymer-based composites in food technology, emphasizing their critical role in addressing the challenges associated with perishable food items. Given the pressing environmental concerns linked to non-degradable petroleum-based plastic packaging, which contributes to pollution and potential microplastic contamination in food, the development of sustainable alternatives has become increasingly urgent. Biopolymers, derived from renewable resources, offer promising solutions through their film-forming capabilities, encapsulation, and carrier matrix, enhancing food performance and safety.

This Special Issue intends to feature a collection of original research articles and reviews exploring advancements in biopolymer composites that improve shelf life, enhance sensory attributes, and ensure food safety through innovative designs. Key studies need to analyse the addition of natural fillers and bioactive agents to create multifunctional, biodegradable films; encapsulations; or carriers that actively interact with food products. Additionally, this Special Issue addresses the challenges of optimizing mechanical properties and biodegradability, highlighting the need for practical applications within a sustainable food system. By consolidating interdisciplinary insights, this Special Issue aims to guide researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers in fostering sustainable practices in food technology.

Dr. Gheorghe Martău
Prof. Dr. Monica Ioana Tosa
Dr. Dan Cristian Vodnar
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. Polymers 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 2700 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

  • biopolymers
  • biodegradable
  • bioactive compounds
  • socioeconomic and environmental sustainability
  • bioavailability
  • innovative industrial products and processes
  • industrial technology transfer
  • food innovation
  • food safety and quality

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 2828 KiB  
Article
Innovative Biobased Active Composites of Cellulose Acetate Propionate with Tween 80 and Cinnamic Acid for Blueberry Preservation
by Ewa Olewnik-Kruszkowska, Martina Ferri, Micaela Degli Esposti, Agnieszka Richert and Paola Fabbri
Polymers 2025, 17(15), 2072; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17152072 - 29 Jul 2025
Viewed by 331
Abstract
In order to develop modern polymer films intended for food packaging, materials based on cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) with the addition of Tween 80 as a plasticizer and cinnamic acid (CA), known for its antibacterial properties, were prepared. It should be emphasized that [...] Read more.
In order to develop modern polymer films intended for food packaging, materials based on cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) with the addition of Tween 80 as a plasticizer and cinnamic acid (CA), known for its antibacterial properties, were prepared. It should be emphasized that materials based on CAP combined with Tween 80 have not been previously reported in the literature. Therefore, not only is the incorporation of cinnamic acid into these systems an innovative approach, but also the use of the CAP-Tween80 matrix itself represents a novel strategy in the context of the proposed applications. The conducted studies made it possible to assess the properties of the obtained materials with and without the addition of cinnamic acid. The obtained results showed that the addition of cinnamic acid significantly influenced the crucial properties relevant to food storage. The introduction of CA into the polymer matrix notably enhanced the UV barrier properties achieving complete (100%) blockage of UVB radiation and approximately a 20% reduction of UVA transmittance. Furthermore, the modified films exhibited pronounced antibacterial activity, with over 99% reduction in Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations observed for samples containing 2 and 3% CA. This antibacterial effect contributed to the extended freshness of stored blueberries. Moreover, the addition of cinnamic acid did not significantly affect the transparency of the films, which remained high (97–99%), thereby allowing the fruit to remain visible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Biopolymer-Based Composites in Food Technology)
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