Abstract
Mostly, food packaging employs synthetic materials obtained from nonrenewable sources. These packaging materials are based on petrochemicals and cause substantial environmental problems by producing massive amounts of non-biodegradable solid wastes. Edible coatings and films are considered as the potential solution to these problems of non-biodegradable packaging solid wastes for maintaining food-environment interactions, retaining food quality, and extending shelf life. In addition, edible coatings and films offer prevention from microbial spoilage of packed foods by controlling moisture and gas barrier characteristics. Increasing environmental concerns and consumer demands for high-quality eco-friendly packaging have fueled the advancement of innovative packaging technologies, for instance, the development of biodegradable films from renewable agricultural and food processing industry wastes. Therefore, the current chapter presents the application of edible coatings and films as an alternative to conventional packaging, emphasizing the fundamental characterization that these biodegradable packaging should hold for specific applications such as food preservation and shelf life enhancement. The primary employed components (e.g., biopolymers, bioactive, and additives components), manufacturing processes (for edible films or coatings), and their application to specific foods have all been given special consideration in this chapter. Besides, a future vision for the use of edible films and coatings as quality indicators for perishable foods is presented.
Highlights
Majority of food packaging are made of synthetic materials derived from nonrenewable sources and based on petrochemicals, having advantages of being available in large quantities at a low cost and having excellent barrier and resistance properties
Environmental concerns and consumer demands for high-quality eco-friendly products that are similar to those found in nature, has prompted the development of technologies for novel packaging materials, such as the production of biodegradable films from renewable polymers [1, 3, 4]
Polysaccharides and proteins extracted from biomass, polymers synthesized from bio-derived monomers (e.g., polylactic acid (PLA)), and those produced directly by microorganisms (e.g., polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), pullulan, curdlan, bacterial cellulose) are examples of such materials based on renewable resources that are commonly used for food packaging applications [21]
Summary
Majority of food packaging are made of synthetic materials derived from nonrenewable sources and based on petrochemicals, having advantages of being available in large quantities at a low cost and having excellent barrier and resistance properties. Polysaccharides (e.g., cellulose, pectin, gum, starch, chitosan) and proteins (e.g., collagen, casein, whey protein, egg protein, gluten) extracted from biomass, polymers synthesized from bio-derived monomers (e.g., polylactic acid (PLA)), and those produced directly by microorganisms (e.g., polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), pullulan, curdlan, bacterial cellulose) are examples of such materials based on renewable resources that are commonly used for food packaging applications [21]. These bio-based materials have good barrier properties and can be mass-produced on a large industrial scale for moderately low costs, making them a viable alternative to petroleum-based plastics. One of the above-mentioned biomaterials can be used alone or in combination with other biopolymers to create an edible coating or film material [16, 17]
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