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Polymers
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Advances and Innovations in Biopolymer Applications for Sustainable Packaging Solutions
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Advances and Innovations in Biopolymer Applications for Sustainable Packaging Solutions

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1363

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Arash Moeini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
Interests: active food packaging; biopolymers; biodegradable polymers; green synthesis; polymerization; nanotechnology; nanocomposites; polysaccharides; semiconductors; wound dressing; drug formulation; release control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Pierfrancesco Cerruti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB)—CNR Via Campi Flegrei, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
Interests: stimuli-responsive nanomaterials; sustainable polymers; composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Gabriella Santagata

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, National Council of Research, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
Interests: biopolymer based formulations for bioactive and intelligent packaging; chemicophysical; mechanical; barrier properties of the developed films and coating
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advancements, research, and innovations in the application of biopolymers within the packaging industry. With increasing environmental concerns and regulatory pressures, shifting towards more sustainable packaging solutions has become paramount. This issue will cover a broad range of topics, including developing new biopolymer materials, improvements in biodegradability and compostability, advancements in production technologies, and assessing environmental impacts. Contributions focusing on case studies, real-world applications, and market analysis are also encouraged to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state and future directions of biopolymer use in packaging.

Key topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Development and characterization of new biopolymer formulations for packaging.
  • Enhancements in the biodegradability and compostability of biopolymer-based packaging.
  • Innovations in production and processing technologies for biopolymer packaging materials.
  • Functional properties and performance evaluation of biopolymer packaging.
  • Environmental impact assessments and life cycle analysis of biopolymer packaging.
  • Regulatory and market trends influencing the adoption of biopolymer packaging.
  • Case studies of biopolymer packaging in various industries (food, beverage, pharmaceuticals, etc.).
  • Consumer perceptions and acceptance of biopolymer packaging solutions.
  • Integration of biopolymers with other sustainable materials for hybrid packaging solutions.

Dr. Arash Moeini
Dr. Pierfrancesco Cerruti
Dr. Gabriella Santagata
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

  • biopolymer packaging
  • sustainable packaging
  • biodegradable materials
  • compostable packaging
  • green packaging solutions
  • eco-friendly packaging
  • bioplastic packaging
  • environmental impact assessment
  • life cycle analysis
  • circular economy in packaging
  • renewable materials
  • packaging innovations
  • regulatory trends in packaging
  • consumer acceptance of biopolymers
  • hybrid packaging solutions

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 4435 KiB  
Article
PLA/PCL Polymer Material for Food Packaging with Enhanced Antibacterial Properties
by Krzysztof Moraczewski, Magdalena Stepczyńska, Aneta Raszkowska-Kaczor, Lauren Szymańska and Piotr Rytlewski
Polymers 2025, 17(9), 1134; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17091134 - 22 Apr 2025
Viewed by 207
Abstract
Active food packaging is a significant trend in recent years in the food industry. This paper presents the results of studies on selected properties of a mixture of polylactide and polycaprolactone containing 1 or 5 wt.% of tannic acid. The function of tannic [...] Read more.
Active food packaging is a significant trend in recent years in the food industry. This paper presents the results of studies on selected properties of a mixture of polylactide and polycaprolactone containing 1 or 5 wt.% of tannic acid. The function of tannic acid was to improve the miscibility of the polymers used and to give the obtained composition antibacterial properties. Studies were carried out on color and transparency, microscopic analysis, water vapor permeability, mass flow rate, static tensile properties, impact strength, dynamic mechanical analysis, thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. The obtained results did not confirm the compatibilizing effect of tannic acid, because the obtained mechanical properties were slightly worse than those of materials without the addition of this compound. However, the obtained mixture was characterized as having biocidal properties against two strains of Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538P). Antibacterial properties together with acceptable processing, mechanical and thermal properties indicate that the presented polymer material may be a potential material for the production of active food packaging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Innovations in Biopolymer Applications for Sustainable Packaging Solutions)
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22 pages, 3575 KiB  
Article
Novel Carvacrol@activated Carbon Nanohybrid for Innovative Poly(lactide Acid)/Triethyl Citrate Based Sustainable Active Packaging Films
by Vassilios K. Karabagias, Aris E. Giannakas, Areti A. Leontiou, Andreas Karydis-Messinis, Dimitrios Moschovas, Nikolaos D. Andritsos, Apostolos Avgeropoulos, Nikolaos E. Zafeiropoulos, Charalampos Proestos and Constantinos E. Salmas
Polymers 2025, 17(5), 605; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17050605 - 24 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1021
Abstract
It has been well known for the past decade that the accumulation of food E-preservatives in the human body has harmful consequences for human health. Furthermore, scientists have realized that despite the convenience offered by petrochemical-derived polymers, a circular economy and sustainability are [...] Read more.
It has been well known for the past decade that the accumulation of food E-preservatives in the human body has harmful consequences for human health. Furthermore, scientists have realized that despite the convenience offered by petrochemical-derived polymers, a circular economy and sustainability are two current necessities; thus, the use of biodegradable alternative materials is imposed. The food packaging sector is one of the most rapidly changing sectors in the world. In recent years, many studies have focused on the development of active packaging films to replace old non-ecofriendly techniques with novel environmentally friendly methods. In this study, a novel self-healable, biodegradable active packaging film was developed using poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a biopolymer, which was incorporated with a nanohybrid solid material as a natural preservative. This nanohybrid was derived via the absorption of carvacrol (CV) essential oil in an activated carbon (AC) nanocarrier. A material with a high carvacrol load of 71.3%wt. into AC via a vacuum-assisted adsorption method, functioning as a natural antioxidant and an antibacterial agent. The CV@AC nanohybrid was successfully dispersed in a PLA/triethyl citrate (TEC) matrix via melt extrusion, and a final PLA/TEC/xCV@AC nanocomposite film was developed. The study concluded that x = 10%wt. CV@AC was the optimum nanohybrid amount incorporated in the self-healable PLA/TEC and exhibited 277% higher ultimate strength and 72% higher water barrier compared to the pure PLA/TEC. Moreover, it remained ductile enough to show the slowest CV release rate, highest antioxidant activity, and significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica ssp. enterica serovar Typhimurium. This film extended the shelf life of fresh minced pork by four days, according to total viable count measurements, and decreased its lipid oxidation rate. Finally, this novel film preserved the nutritional value of porkby maintaining a higher heme iron content and showed a higher level of sensory characteristics compared to commercial packaging paper. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Innovations in Biopolymer Applications for Sustainable Packaging Solutions)
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