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Biopolymer-Based Materials for Edible Food Packaging

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2025 | Viewed by 836

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados—UFGD, Rodovia Dourados-Itahum, Km 12, Dourados 79804-970, MS, Brazil
Interests: natural polymers; antimicrobials; edible films; edible coatings
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food packaging is an essential tool to protect food from the environment, where it is exposed to different temperature, humidity, gas and vapor permeation, and light conditions. Packaging is also responsible for maintaining food quality and safety during its shelf life until being consumed. At the same time, the environmental situation is difficult due to the large amounts of non-biodegradable plastic around the world. Because of this, different biopolymers like pectin, starch, chitosan, carrageenan, polylactic acid, cellulose derivatives and others have been investigated for their potential application as edible food wrapping materials. Crosslinking or reinforcement agents such as nanofillers can improve their properties, making them suitable for active and intelligent packaging.

This Special Issue aims to cover various challenges and possible solutions associated with food packaging materials based on biopolymers. It covers a wide range of biopolymers used in food packaging and the challenges of using them in their pure form. Different applications, such as edible coatings and sensors, are also welcome.

Dr. Silvia Maria Martelli
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • edible coatings
  • biopolymers
  • renewable resources
  • food packaging

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 949 KiB  
Article
Potential of Annatto Seeds (Bixa orellana L.) Extract Together with Pectin-Edible Coatings: Application on Mulberry Fruits (Morus nigra L.)
by Igor Gabriel Silva Oliveira, Karina Sayuri Ueda Flores, Vinícius Nelson Barboza de Souza, Nathaly Calister Moretto, Maria Helena Verdan, Caroline Pereira Moura Aranha, Vitor Augusto Dos Santos Garcia, Claudia Andrea Lima Cardoso and Silvia Maria Martelli
Polymers 2025, 17(5), 562; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17050562 - 20 Feb 2025
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Abstract
Morus nigra L., or mulberry, is a susceptible fleshy fruit due to its high respiratory rate and low storage stability, which shortens its shelf life and makes it difficult to commercialize in natura. Edible coatings, thin membranes produced directly on the desired surface, [...] Read more.
Morus nigra L., or mulberry, is a susceptible fleshy fruit due to its high respiratory rate and low storage stability, which shortens its shelf life and makes it difficult to commercialize in natura. Edible coatings, thin membranes produced directly on the desired surface, could improve food preservation, among other properties. Annatto (Bixa orellana L.) seeds are natural pigments with high antioxidant activity. This work aimed to develop a pectin-based edible coating with annatto extract to increase the shelf life of fruits, using mulberries as a study model. The mulberries were randomly separated into five groups: without coating, coated with different extract concentrations (0%, 5%, and 10%), and a layer-by-layer treatment consisting of a pectin layer under a 10% extract layer. The samples were evaluated for the following parameters: titratable acidity, maturity index, mass loss, pH, soluble solids, moisture contents, and bioactive compounds. The coated group with 10% annatto extract had the best result for the maturity index (25.52), while the group with 5% showed better mass loss and moisture (37.28% and 83.66%, respectively). Herein, it was demonstrated that pectin-based edible coatings with annatto extract delay the maturation and senescence of mulberries, preserving the bioactive compounds and increasing shelf life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biopolymer-Based Materials for Edible Food Packaging)
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