EDIBLE FILMS AND COATINGS FOR PACKAGING APPLICATIONS

The non-biodegradability of synthetic packaging materials rises critical environmental concerns from consumers, and the lower availability of fossil fuels makes necessary to explore alternative polymers to replace synthetic polymers for packaging. Edible films and coatings are produced from edible substances such as proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and other natural biopolymers from fruits and vegetables, that have the potential to control the diffusion of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, aroma and oil between the food and the environment. The objectives of this chapter are to define edible films and coatings, their functions and properties, and include recent advances related to promising packaging applications. Technologies such as compression molding, extrusion process and novel electrospinning process can be used in a commercial scale, facilitating the manufacture of edible film packaging. Several nanocomposite films have been developed to improve their properties. Additionally, by-products and low-value products from the food industry can be a promising source for edible film and coating materials with good properties. However, there is still a need to continuously research on this area since there is no exact solution for each specific problem. The different characteristics of each food product require films and coatings with different barrier and mechanical properties. Therefore, the attractive aspects of edible films and coatings, visualized in green and novel packaging, are a great driving force to be explored in both academic and industrial sectors. Moreover, their biodegradable nature makes them attractive to consumers because of the increased environmental concern.