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Polymers
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Advanced Biopolymers for Biodegradable Food Packaging
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Advanced Biopolymers for Biodegradable Food Packaging

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Sustainable Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 August 2025 | Viewed by 3516

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Seyedeh Fatemeh Mirpoor

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, P.O. Box 226, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AP, UK
Interests: plant proteins; food packaging; hydrocolloid-based films; soft condensed matter
Dr. Concetta Valeria Lucia Giosafatto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy
Interests: hydrocolloid-based films; renewable sources; microbial transglutaminase; film technological features
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Petroleum-derived plastics used for food packaging are the largest contributor to plastic pollution. Replacing conventional plastics with environmentally friendly and sustainable materials derived from renewable sources can address the environmental issues caused by plastics. There is increasing interest in using natural hydrocolloid biopolymers, such as polysaccharides and proteins, to develop bio-based packaging, able to be easily biodegraded under soil-like conditions. Based on circular economy paradigms, biopolymers extracted from by-products, can be considered eco-friendly and sustainable sources for developing food packaging with tailored features. Moreover, the addition of natural active ingredients could further improve the biological and technological potential of the derived materials.

This Special Issue aims to collect research papers, communications, and review articles with original contributions on the development and characterisation of active/smart bio-based materials from natural biopolymers with the ability to be used in food packaging.

Dr. Seyedeh Fatemeh Mirpoor
Dr. Concetta Valeria Lucia Giosafatto
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

  • food packaging
  • shelf-life protein
  • polysaccharide
  • by-products
  • circular economy
  • sustainability
  • active packaging

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3087 KiB  
Article
Manufacture of Bioplastics Prepared from Chitosan Functionalized with Callistemon citrinus Extract
by Marika Avitabile, Seyedeh Fatemeh Mirpoor, Sefora Esposito, Giusi Merola, Loredana Mariniello, Giuseppe Tancredi Patanè, Davide Barreca and Concetta Valeria Lucia Giosafatto
Polymers 2024, 16(19), 2693; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16192693 - 24 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1971
Abstract
The exploration of natural resources in bioplastics has advanced the development of bio-based materials. Utilizing the casting, chitosan (CH)-based films were manufactured with different glycerol (GLY) percentages (from 0 to 50% w/w of CH) and anthocyanin-enriched fractions (from 0 to 5% [...] Read more.
The exploration of natural resources in bioplastics has advanced the development of bio-based materials. Utilizing the casting, chitosan (CH)-based films were manufactured with different glycerol (GLY) percentages (from 0 to 50% w/w of CH) and anthocyanin-enriched fractions (from 0 to 5% of w/w CH) of acidified ethanol extract of Callistemon citrinus flowers (CCE). Callistemon citrinus is an ornamental plant known for its bioactive compounds endowed with health benefits. The hydrocolloid films showed promising mechanical properties. The 30% GLY + 5% CCE film achieved an elongation at break of 57.4%, comparable to the 50% GLY film while possessing enhanced tensile strength and Young’s modulus. The CCE, rich in antioxidants, acted as a plasticizer, improving films’ flexibility and manageability. The films exhibit hydrophilic characteristics with moisture content and uptake values reflecting their water-absorbing capacity, while films with 30% GLY and 5% CCE exhibit enhanced hydrophobicity. In addition, CCE characterization reveals significant polyphenol content (734.45 mg GAE/g), highlighting its antioxidant capacity. Moreover, CCE supplies remarkable antioxidant properties to the films. These findings suggest the potential of these bioplastics for industrial applications as a sustainable solution to traditional plastics and in reducing environmental impact while preventing oxidative reactions in packaged products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Biopolymers for Biodegradable Food Packaging)
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Review

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33 pages, 2826 KiB  
Review
Boosting Food Packaging Sustainability Through the Valorization of Agri-Food Waste and By-Products
by Angela Marotta, Angela Borriello, Muhammad Rehan Khan, Silvana Cavella, Veronica Ambrogi and Elena Torrieri
Polymers 2025, 17(6), 735; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17060735 - 11 Mar 2025
Viewed by 1100
Abstract
The environmental concerns associated with synthetic polymers have intensified the search for sustainable and biodegradable alternatives, particularly for food packaging applications. Natural biopolymers offer promising solutions due to their biodegradability, reduced environmental impact, and reliance on renewable resources. Among these, agri-food waste and [...] Read more.
The environmental concerns associated with synthetic polymers have intensified the search for sustainable and biodegradable alternatives, particularly for food packaging applications. Natural biopolymers offer promising solutions due to their biodegradability, reduced environmental impact, and reliance on renewable resources. Among these, agri-food waste and by-products have gained significant attention as valuable feedstocks for polymer production, supporting a circular economy approach. This review critically examines the current status of biopolymers derived from plant, animal, and microbial sources, focusing on their physical and chemical properties and their application in food packaging. The findings underscore that the properties of plant- and animal-based biopolymers are heavily influenced by the source material and extraction techniques, with successful examples in biodegradable films, coatings, and composite materials. However, a critical gap remains in the characterization of microbial biopolymers, as research in this area predominantly focuses on optimizing production processes rather than evaluating their material properties. Despite this limitation, microbial biopolymers have demonstrated considerable potential in composite films and fillers. By addressing these gaps and evaluating the key factors that influence the success of biopolymer-based packaging, we contribute to the ongoing efforts to develop sustainable food packaging solutions and reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Biopolymers for Biodegradable Food Packaging)
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