Recent innovations in bionanocomposites-based food packaging films – A comprehensive review

Food with natural quality and good shelf life is inevitable in our daily life and is a major concern for the food industry. Mostly, food packaging industries are highly dependent upon non-biodegradable petroleum-based products. The environmental impact and health hazards over these have paved the way to explore the application of biopolymers in food packaging. The innovations in biopolymer nanotechnology have put forward the concept of bionanocomposites having better functionalities with biodegradable and eco-friendly nature. Bionanocomposites can offer excellent mechanical and barrier properties using active or intelligent packaging systems. This review will give a comprehensive update on the recent trends in food packaging with special emphasis on active and intelligent food packaging along with its characterization, properties and reinforcing agents. In addition to packaging aspects, the role of nanoparticles, its migration or release kinetics, biodegradability, life cycle assessment (LCA) and the various challenges associated along with the future of bionanocomposites are also discussed. • The technological innovations in bionanocomposites based food packaging are discussed. • Active and intelligent packaging can offer superior properties over conventional packaging systems. • Bionanocomposites with enhanced environmental and gas barrier can be an excellent choice for food packaging.