Polysaccharide-based films and coatings for food packaging: A review

The accumulation of synthetic plastics, mainly from food packaging, is causing a serious environmental problem. It is driving research efforts to the development of biodegradable films and coatings. The biopolymers used as raw material to prepare biodegradable films should be renewable, abundant and low-cost. In some cases, they can be obtained from wastes. This review summarizes the advances in polysaccharide-based films and coatings for food packaging. Among the materials studied to develop biodegradable packaging films and coatings are polysaccharides such as cellulose, chitosan, starch, pectin and alginate. These polysaccharides are able to form films and coatings with good barrier properties against the transport of gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. On the other hand, tensile strength and percentage of elongation are important mechanical properties. Desirable values of them are required to maintain the integrity of the packed food. The tensile strength values showed by polysaccharide-based films vary from each other, but some of them exhibit similar values to those observed in synthetic polymers values. For example, tensile strength values of films based on high amylose starch or chitosan are comparable to those values found in high-density polyethylene films. The values of percentage of elongation are the main concern, which are far from the desirable values found for synthetic polymers. Researchers are studying combinations of polysaccharides with other materials to improve the barrier and mechanical properties in order to obtain biopolymers that could replace synthetic polymers. Functional polymers with antimicrobial properties, as that the case of chitosan, are also being studied.