Manifesting sustainable food packaging from biodegradable materials: a review

Abstract

The application of petroleum-based plastic worldwide causes the accumulation of plastic waste in landfills, which negatively impacts the environment such as reducing the quality of soil and may cause soil and water pollution. Most of the conventional plastics used have a long lifespan to completely degrade. According to the rapid development of the food industry, plastic packaging plays a key role in food quality and safety, thus making it a major role in controlling the food security system. The alternative use of plastic sources from biopolymers is one of the methods to support environmental sustainability actions. This review provides an overview of studies on principles and challenges of sustainable packaging including different types of biopolymer compounds properties and biodegradability of bioplastics in soil by microorganisms. The biopolymers composition in biodegradable plastic is important in designing better mechanical, physical, and barrier properties during degradation by microorganisms and application in food industries.