Effect of High Pressure Processing on the Preparation and Characteristic Changes of Biopolymer-Based Films in Food Packaging Applications

Abstract

High pressure processing (HPP) is an emerging non-thermal food processing technology, which inhibits pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms without significantly compromising the nutritional and organoleptic quality of the food. Flexible petroleum-based materials are often selected as packaging for HPP food, but they pose great threats to the environment. Packagings based on biopolymers are proposed as promising alternatives to address the associated environmental issues. Some studies have investigated the effect of HPP on the morphology, mechanical, thermal, and mass transport properties of the biopolymers. Therefore, it is important to consolidate available information and provide a better understanding of the effects of HPP parameters and the time it applied in the material fabrication process. The main objective of this study is to make a critical literature review on the performance change of biopolymer packaging materials undergoing HPP treatments before and after film-forming and the current knowledge of the effects of different processing conditions on their properties, making the use of biopolymer-based films for HPP food packaging applications feasible.