Chapter 14 - Present and Future of Biodegradable Polymers for Food Packaging Applications

Abstract

Using conventional nondegradable and noncompostable polymers has a significant negative impact on the environment, so biodegradable polymers can attract much attention in regards to the current interest in the field of sustainable development, recycling, or environmental protection. Morphological and structural transformations resulting from the degradation of the material have a significant impact on the polymer material properties. Thus, evaluation and understanding of the structure, properties, and behavior of advanced materials for perspective food packaging applications is important to avoid degradation during storage. This review focuses on biodegradable polymer materials with approved or potential applications in food packaging. The major groups of biodegradable natural, microbial, and synthetic polymers will briefly be discussed with regard to properties required for packaging materials, like permeability, physical and mechanical properties, antioxidative and antimicrobial additives, plasticization, and biodegradability, based on studies reported in the literature as well as future trends.