Chapter Fifteen - Modeling mass transfer in biodegradable and edible packaging

Abstract

Over the past few years, biodegradable and edible food packaging materials have emerged as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics because of increasing consumer awareness of issues such as sustainability, environment, ethics, food safety, shelf life, quality, and product cost, as well as legislative food packaging regulations. The major functional properties of biodegradable and edible materials for foods must fit food packaging–related regulations and standards, especially mass transfer properties, which have a substantial outcome on the quality and shelf life of food products. Mass transfer through packaging composite matrices, such as the transfer of water vapor, gases, flavor, and aromatic compounds, plays a crucial role in the control of degradation reactions of packaging materials and foods to preserve the quality of food and prolong its shelf life. Permeation, migration, and sorption are characteristic mass transfer phenomena that occur in food packaging systems. In this chapter, mass transfer phenomena in biodegradable and edible packaging materials are discussed along with mass transport mechanisms, factors influencing their magnitude and kinetics, how mass transfer can be regulated and used accordingly in the creation of a biodegradable and edible package, and the advantageous effects of permeation, migration, and sorption in the safeguarding of food products. The ultimate aim of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive understanding of mass transfer phenomena and the factors influencing mass transfer properties while considering the barrier characteristics of biodegradable and edible packaging materials to maintain the food quality and shelf life of packaged products.