Chapter Two - Biodegradable and edible packaging materials

Abstract

In the last few years, substantial growth has been observed in the creation of edible films and coatings, which is projected to have a significant impact on fruit and vegetable quality in the next years. Consumers demand pesticide-free fresh fruit and vegetables with good quality, nutritional value, and long shelf life. Edible films or coating applied on vegetables and fruits is a creative and eco-friendly approach to the problem. Edible films or coating are used to create environmentally friendly and biodegradable packaging. Natural biopolymers and proper preservation technologies are used for the coating strategy. The chapter discusses the applicability, trends, and future prospects of polysaccharides, proteins and lipids, edible films and coatings, as well as its effect on fruit and vegetable quality, as well as their fundamental roles and benefits. Natural polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and the addition of other additives are ideally best to be used as a material to pack fresh vegetables and fruit. Edible coatings or films are used due to their potential to reduce synthetic polymer packaging usage and also because some natural polymers could be produced from waste products created when processing the source ingredients of the food.