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Polymers
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Functional Polymeric Materials for Food Packaging Applications
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Functional Polymeric Materials for Food Packaging Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Smart and Functional Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 November 2025 | Viewed by 2160

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Vitor Augusto Dos Santos Garcia

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu 3780, SP, Brazil
Interests: food technology; new product development; natural macromolecules; natural active compounds; delivery of active compounds; oral disintegrating films
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Fernanda Maria Vanin

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Guest Editor
Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Interests: use of agro-industrial waste for food production; food ingredients and additives; biomaterials; modeling of degradation of bioactive compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Cristiana Maria Pedroso Yoshida

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Exact and Earth Science, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua São Nicolau, 210, Diadema 09913-030, SP, Brazil
Interests: active and biodegradable films; active and intelligent packaging; natural active compounds; delivery of active compounds; use of agro-industrial waste
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue entitled "Functional Polymeric Materials for Food Packaging Applications," dedicated to recent research on the synthesis, characterization, and application of polymeric materials designed for food products. The recent surge in innovations regarding the development of safe, sustainable, and effective polymeric materials reflects the increase in concern for the environment and the need to extend the shelf life of food. Polymers offer promising solutions due to their ability to incorporate antimicrobial properties, antioxidants, and other functionalities into packaging. We welcome you to submit an innovative original research or review paper and contribute meaningfully to this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Vitor Augusto Dos Santos Garcia
Prof. Dr. Fernanda Maria Vanin
Dr. Cristiana Maria Pedroso Yoshida
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

  • antioxidant
  • antimicrobial
  • natural polymers
  • biodegradable packaging
  • foods

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 5500 KiB  
Article
Encapsulation of Essential Oils Using Hemp Protein Isolate–Gallic Acid Conjugates: Characterization and Functional Evaluation
by Xinyu Zhang, Haoran Zhu and Feng Xue
Polymers 2025, 17(13), 1724; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17131724 - 20 Jun 2025
Viewed by 501
Abstract
Essential oils (EOs) represent natural bioactive agents with broad applications; however, their industrial utilization is often hampered by inherent volatility and instability, which current encapsulation methods struggle to overcome due to limitations such as reliance on synthetic surfactants. Proteins, owing to their amphiphilic [...] Read more.
Essential oils (EOs) represent natural bioactive agents with broad applications; however, their industrial utilization is often hampered by inherent volatility and instability, which current encapsulation methods struggle to overcome due to limitations such as reliance on synthetic surfactants. Proteins, owing to their amphiphilic nature, serve as materials for EOs microencapsulation, particularly when chemically modified. Building upon our previous work demonstrating improved emulsifying properties of hemp seed protein isolate (HPI) through covalent modification with gallic acid (GA), this study investigated its efficacy for essential oil encapsulation. This study developed a novel microencapsulation system utilizing conjugates of HPI and GA for stabilizing six essential oils (lemon, grapefruit, camellia, fragrans, oregano, and mustard). The microcapsules exhibited encapsulation efficiencies (EE) ranging from 40% to 88%, with oregano oil demonstrating superior performance due to carvacrol’s amphiphilic surfactant properties. Advanced characterization techniques revealed that high-EE microcapsules displayed compact morphologies, enhanced thermal stability, and reduced surface oil localization. Release kinetics followed either the Peppas or Weibull model, with oregano microcapsules achieving sustained release via matrix erosion mechanisms. Antioxidant assays and antimicrobial tests demonstrated multifunctional efficacy, where oregano microcapsules exhibited the highest radical scavenging and antimicrobial activity. These findings establish HPI-GA conjugates as unique dual-functional emulsifier-encapsulants, offering a sustainable and effective platform to enhance EO stability and bioactivity, particularly for applications in food preservation and pharmaceutical formulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymeric Materials for Food Packaging Applications)
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18 pages, 4121 KiB  
Article
Chitosan-Lemongrass Essential Oil on Paperboard for Active Food Packaging Applications
by Mariangela de Fátima Silva, Julia Vaz Ernesto, Alessandra Rigo Rinaldi, Ana Paula Reis Noletto, Patricia Santos Lopes, Rosemary Aparecida de Carvalho, Vitor Augusto dos Santos Garcia and Cristiana Maria Pedroso Yoshida
Polymers 2025, 17(4), 473; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17040473 - 11 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1283
Abstract
An active film-forming solution of chitosan and lemongrass essential oil was applied as a coating on paperboard, forming an alternative and sustainable packaging material for food applications. The active paper-film systems were characterized by color parameters, thermogravimetric analyses, contact angles, Fourier transform infrared [...] Read more.
An active film-forming solution of chitosan and lemongrass essential oil was applied as a coating on paperboard, forming an alternative and sustainable packaging material for food applications. The active paper-film systems were characterized by color parameters, thermogravimetric analyses, contact angles, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, mechanical properties, and cytotoxicity. The active coated paperboard was homogeneous and yellowish in appearance. The tensile strength (transverse and longitudinal directions) was directly influenced by increasing the number of layers of the chitosan-lemongrass active coating. The oil concentration significantly affected the Taber stiffness (transverse direction). The active coatings with higher concentrations of lemongrass essential oil altered the thermal stability of the coated paperboard. The contact angle values were characteristic of hydrophobic materials. The coated systems presented three characteristic peaks in the X-ray diffraction analysis—2θ = 16.5°, 22.9°, and 29.8°—and an amorphous halo at 18.9°. The cytotoxicity analysis of the active material (1:40:5) indicated potential reductions in the lemongrass essential oil content to maintain cell viability while ensuring insecticidal efficacy, supporting its safe use as food-contact active packaging. In this way, the active packaging system based on a chitosan coating containing lemongrass essential oil on paperboard could be a type of efficient active material packaging which is safe in contact with food and sustainable for the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymeric Materials for Food Packaging Applications)
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