Biodegradable Materials for Food Preservation and Packaging

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2024) | Viewed by 8243

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Bast Fiber Crops and Center of Southern Economic Crops, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha 410205, China
Interests: bioactive ingredients in food resources; food packaging; food preservation; biodegradable materials; green solvents; deep eutectic solvents; ionic liquids; bio-based solvents; solid–liquid extraction; liquid–liquid extraction
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food packaging, as an effective barrier to preserve the product from physical damage, environmental contamination, and other external factors, plays an irreplaceable role in food preservation and minimizing food waste along the distribution chain (processing, transportation, and storage) to maintain the quality and safety of the products during their shelf life. Nevertheless, most plastic wastes congregate in the environment owing to the non-biodegradable properties of petroleum-based materials for food packaging, resulting in a tremendous environmental challenge. Furthermore, microplastic particles, caused by plastic food packaging entering human tissue, have been demonstrated to pose adverse effects on human health. Consequently, it is of considerable significance to develop novel biodegradable biomaterials as substitutes. Biodegradable packaging films are principally synthesized based on natural biopolymers and synthetic biodegradable polymers, or the addition of antibacterial and preservation ingredients into these polymers.

The objective of this Special Issue on "Biodegradable Materials for Food Preservation and Packaging" is to gather and disseminate some of the most significant and recent contributions on the latest developments and advances in the application of biodegradable materials for food preservation and food packaging. Accordingly, we cordially invite authors to contribute original research papers and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Zhijian Tan
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • food packaging
  • food preservation
  • antibacterial materials
  • biodegradable materials
  • natural biopolymers
  • biodegradable polymers

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2710 KiB  
Article
Impact of Nanoclays Addition on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Flour Film Properties
by Ángel Cobos and Olga Díaz
Foods 2024, 13(1), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13010075 - 25 Dec 2023
Viewed by 750
Abstract
Chickpea flour is an affordable natural blend of starch, proteins, and lipids, which can create films with suitable properties as an eco-friendly packaging material. Nanoclays’ incorporation into natural biopolymers enhances the barrier properties of the resulting nanocomposites, so they could improve the properties [...] Read more.
Chickpea flour is an affordable natural blend of starch, proteins, and lipids, which can create films with suitable properties as an eco-friendly packaging material. Nanoclays’ incorporation into natural biopolymers enhances the barrier properties of the resulting nanocomposites, so they could improve the properties of flour films. The objective of this work was to assess the influence of three types of nanoclays (halloysite, bentonite, and Cloisite 20A) at two concentrations on the characteristics of chickpea flour films. In general terms, when the lowest dose (5%) was added, no or very slight significant differences with the control were observed in most parameters, except for thermal stability and opacity, which increased, and solubility, which decreased. At the highest concentration (10%), films containing any of the nanoclays demonstrated greater thermal stability, opacity, and rigidity while being less soluble than those without nanofillers. Bentonite exhibited superior film structure distribution compared to other nanoclays. At the highest concentration, it had the most significant impact on modifying the properties of chickpea flour films, increasing their tensile and puncture strengths while decreasing elasticity and water vapor permeability. The incorporation of nanoclays into chickpea flour films could be a useful technique to enhance their properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradable Materials for Food Preservation and Packaging)
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19 pages, 4301 KiB  
Article
The Development of Highly pH-Sensitive Bacterial Cellulose Nanofibers/Gelatin-Based Intelligent Films Loaded with Anthocyanin/Curcumin for the Fresh-Keeping and Freshness Detection of Fresh Pork
by Siyu Zhou, Nan Li, Haonan Peng, Xingbin Yang and Dehui Lin
Foods 2023, 12(20), 3719; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12203719 - 10 Oct 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1153
Abstract
The aim of this study was to develop highly pH-sensitive bacterial cellulose nanofibers/gelatin-based intelligent films, where the intelligent films were loaded with different ratios (10:0, 0:10 2:8, 5:5 and 8:2, w/w) of curcumin:anthocyanin (Cur/ATH), and the characterization of intelligent films [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to develop highly pH-sensitive bacterial cellulose nanofibers/gelatin-based intelligent films, where the intelligent films were loaded with different ratios (10:0, 0:10 2:8, 5:5 and 8:2, w/w) of curcumin:anthocyanin (Cur/ATH), and the characterization of intelligent films was investigated. The results showed that the microstructures of intelligent films were much rougher as the proportion of curcumin increased. FTIR results showed that anthocyanin and curcumin were fixed in gelatin matrix by hydrogen bonds. Moreover, XRD results showed that curcumin had a significant effect on the crystal structure of the films. Interestingly, films loaded with a Cur/ATH ratio of 5:5 had the best mechanical and antioxidant properties and a high pH-sensitivity property. Consequently, the bacterial cellulose nanofibers/gelatin-based intelligent films loaded with a Cur/ATH ratio of 5:5 were used for the packaging of fresh pork, displaying good fresh-keeping and freshness detection effects. Therefore, this study suggested that bacterial cellulose nanofibers/gelatin-based intelligent films have great potential in the fresh-keeping and freshness detection of meat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradable Materials for Food Preservation and Packaging)
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12 pages, 3479 KiB  
Article
Biodegradable Chitosan-Based Films as an Alternative to Plastic Packaging
by Natalia Wrońska, Nadia Katir, Marta Nowak-Lange, Abdelkrim El Kadib and Katarzyna Lisowska
Foods 2023, 12(18), 3519; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12183519 - 21 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3412
Abstract
The impact of synthetic packaging on environmental pollution has been observed for years. One of the recent trends of green technology is the development of biomaterials made from food processing waste as an alternative to plastic packaging. Polymers obtained from some polysaccharides, such [...] Read more.
The impact of synthetic packaging on environmental pollution has been observed for years. One of the recent trends of green technology is the development of biomaterials made from food processing waste as an alternative to plastic packaging. Polymers obtained from some polysaccharides, such as chitosan, could be an excellent solution. This study investigated the biodegradability of chitosan–metal oxide films (ZnO, TiO2, Fe2O3) and chitosan-modified graphene films (CS-GO-Ag) in a soil environment. We have previously demonstrated that these films have excellent mechanical properties and exhibit antibacterial activity. This study aimed to examine these films’ biodegradability and the possibility of their potential use in the packaging industry. The obtained results show that soil microorganisms were able to utilize chitosan films as the source of carbon and nitrogen, thus providing essential evidence about the biodegradability of CS, CS:Zn (20:1; 10:1), and CS:Fe2O3 (20:1) films. After 6 weeks of incubation, the complete degradation of the CS-Fe2O3 20:1 sample was noted, while after 8 weeks, CS-ZnO 20:1 and CS-ZnO 10:1 were degraded. This is a very positive result that points to the practical aspect of the biodegradability of such films in soil, where garbage is casually dumped and buried. Once selected, biodegradable films can be used as an alternative to plastic packaging, which contributes to the reduction in pollution in the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradable Materials for Food Preservation and Packaging)
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23 pages, 3492 KiB  
Article
Functional, Physical, and Volatile Characterization of Chitosan/Starch Food Films Functionalized with Mango Leaf Extract
by Cristina Cejudo, Marta Ferreiro, Irene Romera, Lourdes Casas and Casimiro Mantell
Foods 2023, 12(15), 2977; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12152977 - 07 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1171
Abstract
Active packaging is one of the currently thriving methods to preserve highly perishable foods. Nonetheless, the integration of active substances into the formulation of the packaging may alter their properties—particularly mass transfer properties—and therefore, the active compounds acting. Different formulations of chitosan (CH), [...] Read more.
Active packaging is one of the currently thriving methods to preserve highly perishable foods. Nonetheless, the integration of active substances into the formulation of the packaging may alter their properties—particularly mass transfer properties—and therefore, the active compounds acting. Different formulations of chitosan (CH), starch (ST), and their blends (CH-ST), with the addition of mango leaf extract (MLE) have been polymerized by casting to evaluate their food preservation efficiency. A CH-ST blend with 3% MLE using 7.5 mL of the filmogenic solution proved to be the most effective formulation because of its high bioactivity (ca. 80% and 74% of inhibition growth of S. aureus and E. coli, respectively, and 40% antioxidant capacity). The formulation reduced the water solubility and water vapor permeability while increasing UV protection, properties that provide a better preservation of raspberry fruit after 13 days than the control. Moreover, a novel method of Headspace-Gas Chromatography-Ion Mobility Spectrometry to analyze the volatile profiles of the films is employed, to study the potential modification of the food in contact with the active film. These migrated compounds were shown to be closely related to both the mango extract additions and the film’s formulation themselves, showing different fingerprints depending on the film. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradable Materials for Food Preservation and Packaging)
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14 pages, 4379 KiB  
Article
Characterization and Mechanism of Tea Polyphenols Inhibiting Biogenic Amine Accumulation in Marinated Spanish Mackerel
by Zhe Xu, Jiale Chang, Jiamin Zhou, Yixin Shi, Hui Chen, Lingyu Han, Maolin Tu and Tingting Li
Foods 2023, 12(12), 2347; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122347 - 12 Jun 2023
Viewed by 996
Abstract
Putrescine is a low-molecular-weight organic compound that is widely found in pickled foods. Although the intake of biogenic amines is beneficial to humans, an excessive intake can cause discomfort. In this study, the ornithine decarboxylase gene (ODC) was involved in putrescine biosynthesis. After [...] Read more.
Putrescine is a low-molecular-weight organic compound that is widely found in pickled foods. Although the intake of biogenic amines is beneficial to humans, an excessive intake can cause discomfort. In this study, the ornithine decarboxylase gene (ODC) was involved in putrescine biosynthesis. After cloning, expression and functional verification, it was induced and expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3). The relative molecular mass of the recombinant soluble ODC protein was 14.87 kDa. The function of ornithine decarboxylase was analyzed by determining the amino acid and putrescine content. The results show that the ODC protein could catalyze the decarboxylation of ornithine to putrescine. Then, the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme was used as a receptor for the virtual screening of inhibitors. The binding energy of tea polyphenol ligands to the receptor was the highest at −7.2 kcal mol−1. Therefore, tea polyphenols were added to marinated fish to monitor the changes in putrescine content and were found to significantly inhibit putrescine production (p < 0.05). This study lays the foundation for further research on the enzymatic properties of ODC and provides insight into an effective inhibitor for controlling the putrescine content in pickled fish. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradable Materials for Food Preservation and Packaging)
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