Sustainable Antioxidant Cassava Starch–Pectin Films Functionalized With Guava Peel Nanoparticles for Food Packaging

With paramount pressures from the laws enforcing agents and the general public in greenhouse gas emission and environmental issues, the importance of biodegradable materials with suitable properties for potential applications in the food packaging has received serious attention. In this work, tamarind kernel powder (TKP)/halloysite (HS)/cinnamaldehyde (CND) nanocomposite (NC) films were successfully developed using the solution casting method. CND with selected concentrations (0.5%–3%, w/w) were loaded into TKP (5% w/w)/HS (2% w/w) matrix. The NC films were characterized by optical measurement (e.g., color, transparency), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR), barrier, and mechanical properties. The CND concentration significantly influenced the film properties. The developed nanocomposite films exhibited excellent antimicrobial efficacy against Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative foodborne pathogens (Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella Typhimurium). Film with 2% CND was found to be a good candidate for active packaging application.Practical applicationsIn the present times, there have been increased interests in the fabrication of biodegradable films for food packaging applications to reduce the usage of plastic‐based materials. This trend has urged researchers to develop bio‐based packaging materials with increased functionality. Tamarind kernel powder possesses excellent film‐forming properties, and their reinforcement with nanoclays and essential oil makes them useful as a food packaging material. In the present study, the optical, barrier, and antimicrobial properties of tamarind kernel powder films were improved by incorporating halloysite nanoclay and cinnamaldehyde. Therefore, the developed antimicrobial films with improved functionality have high potential as a food packaging material.

Global environmental concerns about non-degradable packaging materials are increasing. Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), a polysaccharide widely used in the food industry, has gained attention in the field of food packaging. Due to its biodegradability, film-forming ability, and biocompatibility, CMCS has emerged as a sustainable option for degradable and functional food packaging materials, offering solutions to plastic pollution and food waste issues. This review explores CMCS as a food packaging and delivery material, detailing its synthesis methods, optimal preparation conditions, functional properties post-carboxymethylation, and applications in the food industry, alongside safety assessments. It summarizes the physicochemical interactions of CMCS-based composites and their impact on relevant properties, highlighting CMCS's potential as a green strategy for smart and active food packaging materials. Additionally, it presents the latest advancements in CMCS applications in the food industry over the past decade. CMCS exhibits good biocompatibility and antibacterial properties, and its functionality in food packaging films and delivery materials is enhanced through functional modification and polymerization. CMCS is widely used as a matrix for food preservation films or coatings and as a carrier for active ingredients, thereby improving the encapsulation efficiency and storage stability of functional food components. This review comprehensively outlines the applications of CMCS in the food industry, filling gaps in the existing literature, and laying a theoretical foundation for the development of CMCS technology. It provides a reference for further research, emphasizing the need to further investigate its molecular structure and chemical properties to optimize functionality and safety, thereby fully tapping into the potential of CMCS in the food industry.

For a sustainable future, the search for biodegradable materials to replace conventional petroleum‐based polymers for food packaging has received much attention because of the need to reduce plastic pollution in the environment. Biopolymers are generally biodegradable, renewable, nontoxic, and easily available in nature and can be effective potential alternatives to synthetic plastics. However, the inherent limitations of biopolymers in terms of poor mechanical and barrier properties, as well as inadequate thermal stability, have hindered their widespread adoption in the food packaging industry. With the advent of nanoscience, new avenues for innovation in novel food packaging materials with enhanced functional attributes have been realized. Upon dispersion in a biopolymer matrix, inorganic or organic nanofillers, which possess certain physical and chemical properties at the nanoscale, make these composites useful as packaging materials; tailored mechanical, barrier, thermal, and optical properties have been reported to meet specific requirements for food preservation and packaging. This review discusses the effects of the reinforcement of different types of nanofillers on the mechanical, barrier, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of biopolymeric matrices used for food packaging applications. The importance of standardized regulations for the safe use of nanomaterials in food packaging has also been discussed in detail.

ABSTRACTBiopolymer‐based food packaging films represent a promising avenue for sustainable packaging solutions, offering alternatives to conventional petroleum‐derived plastics. In this context, gallic acid (GA) emerges as a sustainable and green crosslinker for enhancing the properties of biopolymer films. GA, a natural phenolic compound abundant in various plant sources, possesses antioxidant properties and low toxicity, making it an attractive choice for food packaging applications. Unfortunately, there is no report analysing the ongoing progress in using this phenolic compound as a crosslinker in biopolymer‐based packing materials for food applications. So this article completely provides the sources and chemistry of GA and the latest advancements in the integration of GA with different types of natural polymers and their application in food preservation. This review paper also reveals the advances in using GA in protein‐based packaging films (gelatin, tyrosinase, collagen) and biopolyester‐based packaging films and their application in food preservation. The incorporation of GA into biopolymer films enhances mechanical strength, barrier properties and thermal stability, while also imparting antioxidant activity to extend the shelf life of packaged food products. Furthermore, the utilization of GA contributes to the valorization of agricultural by‐products and waste streams, promoting sustainability and waste reduction in the packaging industry. Overall, GA‐based crosslinked biopolymer films offer a promising pathway towards the development of eco‐friendly food packaging solutions, addressing both environmental concerns and consumer demands for safe and sustainable packaging materials.

IntroductionThe demand for sustainable food packaging materials has led to the exploration of bioactive composite films. This study aimed to prepare and evaluate a composite film made from sweet potato peel polyphenols extract and sweet potato starch (SPS) for its potential use in food packaging.MethodsThe composite film was prepared by uniformly dispersing 0.4% sweet potato peel polyphenols in the SPS matrix. Physicochemical properties and functional characteristics were assessed, including mechanical properties, UV barrier, water and gas barrier properties, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial abilities against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. The film's efficacy in food packaging was tested using fresh cherry tomatoes, stored at 4°C, to determine its impact on shelf life.ResultsThe starch-based sweet potato peel polyphenols film demonstrated enhanced mechanical properties and excellent UV barrier properties. It showed improved water and gas barrier properties and strong antioxidant activity, with clearance rates above 90% for DPPH and ABTS radicals. The film also exhibited effective antimicrobial abilities against the tested bacteria. Food packaging experiments indicated that the film could extend the shelf life of fresh cherry tomatoes to 7 days when stored at 4°C.DiscussionThe results suggest that the developed composite film has significant potential as an eco-friendly food packaging material. Its multifunctional properties, including UV protection, barrier enhancement, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial capabilities, make it a promising candidate for extending the shelf life of perishable foods. The film's performance in slowing spoilage and extending the shelf life of cherry tomatoes highlights its practical application prospects in the food industry.

Graphene‐loaded thermoplastic nanocomposite films must be evaluated for antibacterial activity, mechanical, and barrier properties before being utilized as food packaging. Herein, economically feasible linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE)‐based flexible packaging materials were developed via the melt compounding technique at 170°C temperature by taking advantage of both graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) and nano zinc oxide (ZnO) fillers. Morphological studies reveal that in composites loaded with GNP/ZnO hybrid fillers, ZnO nanoparticles form a network‐like structure throughout the polymer matrix. Simultaneously, GNPs are uniformly dispersed. The inclusion of hybrid nanofiller considerably reduces both the oxygen transmission rate and the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) in LLDPE nanocomposites. A maximum decrease of 36% and 67%, respectively, in both oxygen transmission rate and WVTR is observed for 3 wt% of hybrid filler loading in a thermoplastic matrix containing 1 wt% of nano ZnO. The antibacterial efficacy of the derived nanocomposite films is obvious against gram‐positive (Bacillus subtilis) and gram‐negative (Escherichia coli) bacterial strains. These nanocomposite films have the potential to be successfully utilized as flexible packaging materials owing to their improved thermal, barrier, and antibacterial effectiveness.Highlights GNP/ZnO was used as a hybrid reinforcing filler in the LLDPE matrix. ZnO nanoparticles establish a network‐like morphology. LLDPE nanocomposite films exhibited excellent antibacterial activity. Oxygen and water vapor barrier properties were significantly improved. The thermoplastic composite films could be used as food packaging materials.

Packaging has been with humans for thousands of years in one form or the other. Previously, it was by shaping different materials in to packaging material like glass pottery and paper. Modern food packaging is believed to have begun in the 19th century with the invention of canning. The packaging system by now reach at capable of carrying out intelligent functions (such as detecting, sensing, recording, tracing, communicating, and applying scientific logic) to facilitate decision making to extend shelf life, enhance safety, improve quality, provide information, and warn about possible problems. Basically, packaging has roles like protection, reduce waste, product freshness and enhance sales in a competitive environment. However, the properties of the packaging material, the type of food/beverage to be packaged, possible food/package interactions, the intended market for the product, eventual package disposal, and costs should also considered during packaging since it has a great harm. This review was initiated with the objective to know about food and beverage packaging materials and their impact. The information about food packaging materials and their impact was collected from different publications over the past decade, research reports and databases from different organization were also reviewed. Various on-line sources including Google Scholar were browsed using some important key terms such as food packaging materials, history of food packaging, role of food packaging and the impact.

Nano and nanocomposite antimicrobial materials for food packaging applications

Recent functionality developments in Montmorillonite as a nanofiller in food packaging

Potential materials for food packaging from nanoclay/natural fibres filled hybrid composites

Biopolymers and their nanocomposites coated paper-based high barrier and sustainable food packaging materials.

Effect of silicon dioxide nanoparticle on microstructure, mechanical and barrier properties of biodegradable PBAT/PBS food packaging

New food packaging materials provide an attractive option for the advancement of nanomaterials. The poor thermal, mechanical, chemical, and physical properties of biopolymers and their inherent permeability to gases and vapor have increased this interest. Polymeric materials (matrix) in modern technologies require a filler, which can react/interact with the available matrix to provide a new formulation with improved packaging properties including oxygen permeability, moisture permeability, crystalline structure, barrier properties, morphology, thermal stability, optical properties, anti-microbial characteristics, and mechanical properties. The performance of nanocomposite films and packaging is dependent on the size of the nanofillers used and the uniformity of the nanoparticles (NPs) distribution and dispersion in the matrix. Advancement in nanocomposite technologies is expected to grow with the advent of sustainable, low price, environmentally friendly materials with an enhanced performance. The current review addresses advances in the biopolymeric nanocomposites as alternatives to petroleum plastics in the food packaging industry. It also provides a brief description of biopolymer nanocomposite films and gives general information about different metal NPs with an emphasis on their influence on the emerging characteristics of biodegradable films. The results of recent reports provide a better understanding of the influence of metal NPs in food packaging.

The use of food packaging materials is on the rise because of continued growth of food industries. Food packaging materials' environmental effects are now a major concern for people all over the world, particularly for the public, governments, businesses, and producers. To reduce environmental pollution, encourage the recycling of packaging materials, and achieve sustainability in food packaging, numerous studies have focused on developing novel packaging solutions that utilize renewable resources that are biodegradable, compostable, or eco-friendly. This study explored the development of food packaging film of two different thicknesses from cassava starch, glycerol and coconut oil as a plasticizer and evaluating their suitability for food packaging. Cassava starch from Kenya was characterized and used as the main raw material for making the bio-based films at a rate of 80% with glycerol (10%) and coconut oil (10%) as the processing additives. The transparency and water solubility of the films were significantly different and transparency ranged from 0.646-0.668% while the water solubility was 32.61-39.085% for the 150 µm and 200 µm films, respectively. The moisture content increased with thickness, with the highest (200 µm thick) having 10.16%. There was no significant difference on the Young’s modulus, tear strength, tensile strength at rapture and elongation at break, but the thicker films had higher water vapour permeability rate of 5.27× 10-9 g m-1 s-1 Pa-1 as compared to the 150 μm films which had 5.05× 10-9 g m-1 s-1 Pa-1. The film samples were proven to be biodegradable by the average cumulative weight loss of 89.59% for the 150 µm sample and 89.82% for the 200 µm sample, following 120 days of soil burial test. The biofilms obtained had sustainable and promising functional characteristics suitable for packaging of dry solid foods.

Synthesis and characterization of poly(lactic acid)/clove essential oil/alkali-treated halloysite nanotubes composite films for food packaging applications