Sustainable Polymers For Food Packaging

Bio-based plastics and nanocomposites can be used in improved packaging for food. Food packaging requires that morphologies, physical and chemical properties are all controlled. This book covers topics including: Types of Food Packaging, Natural Polymers, Materials Properties, Regulations and Legislation, Edible and Sustainable Food Packaging, and Trends of End-of-Life Options. This book is ideal for industrial chemists and materials scientists.

This book provides a systematic overview of the processing and applications of sustainable polymers. The volume covers recent advances in biomedical, food packaging, fuel cell, membrane, and other emerging applications. The book begins by addressing different sections of biomedical application including use of carbohydrate-based therapeutics, nanohybrids, nanohydrogels, bioresorbable polymers and their composites, polymer-grafted nanobiomaterials for biomedical devices and implants, nanofibres, and others. The second part of this book discusses various processing and packaging materials for food packaging applications. The last section discusses other emerging applications, including using microbial fuel cells for waste water treatment, microfluidic fuel cells for low power applications, among others. This volume will be relevant to researchers working to improve the properties of bio-based materials for their advanced application and wide commercialization.

This book explores the latest advances in the sustainable production of packaged foods. Packaging plays an important role in sustainable food production and consumption in industrialized countries, where there is an increasing pressure to reduce the environmental impact of packaged foods. For example, the European Union recommends packaging from renewable sources, with a focus on bio-based materials. Sustainable packaging processes guarantee the reuse of the entire waste material and at the same time avoid the loss of food safety and quality during storage by preventing food-borne diseases and chemical contamination. Furthermore, the dramatic problem of plastic waste accumulation and the conservation of oil and food resources need to be taken into consideration. This book presents eco-friendly packaging strategies to reduce food and plastic waste and address the end-of-life issues of persistent materials. It particularly focuses on the production of biodegradable microbial polymers and the use of by-products and waste from the agricultural and food industries. These strategies promote an innovative and productive waste-based food packaging economy, separating the food packaging industry from fossil reserves and allowing bio-polymers to return to the soil. Lastly, the book covers life-cycle assessment, life-cycle costing, and externality assessment to help readers understand the economical reliability of the innovations presented.

This book will provide a comprehensive overview on the green approach to the research and industrialization of plastic materials. An effort will be made to offer to the reader a critical perspective concerning both oil-based plastics and novel bio-based and waste-derived polymer formulations. A special focus on bio-innovation in the area of organic materials will also be delivered.

This book discusses the development of bio-based plastics and associated nanocomposites in order to achieve targeted structural morphologies, and physical and chemical properties for use in food-packaging applications. In line with bio-based and/or biodegradable plastic matrices, the current status of the development of multifaceted bionanofillers is also explored in detail.This book begins by addressing the past, present and future prospects of bio-based and/or biodegradable polymers in specific food-packaging applications, and the importance and advantages of such packaging over fossil polymer-based packaging materials. Furthermore, this book also examines the current commercial overview of bio-based and/or biodegradable polymers and nanocomposites, and the structure-property relationship required for various advanced applications.Individual chapters detail bio-based polymers, bio-derived and microbial-derived plastics, which include exclusive investigations on the most promising polymers, such as polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and their bionanocomposites, for food-packaging applications. Detailed discussions highlight the various properties of polymers for food-packaging applications including bio-based and/or biodegradable polymers and nanocomposites. The processing of blends using bio-based and/or biodegradable polymers and non-degradable polymers for food-packaging applications are also featured.In addition, extensive discussions include different edible biopolymer-based coatings on food items which can act as effective carriers for improving the shelf life of food. Moreover, various end-of-life solutions of plastics such as recycling, reuse, composting and so on, for the safe disposal of plastic waste are reviewed. Finally, this book discusses migration studies, and safety legislation and regulations of such packages in contact with food, which are currently being performed by various organisations across the world. Throughout the book, detailed case studies are included on sustainable polymers, and associated nanocomposites, along with different perspectives on their industrial applications, and critical challenges and opportunities for developing biopolymer nanocomposites for food-packaging applications.

Towards more sustainable packaging with biodegradable materials! The combination of the continuously increasing food packaging waste with the non-biodegradable nature of the plastic materials that have a big slice of the packaging market makes it necessary to move towards sustainable packaging for the benefit of the environment and human health. Sustainable packaging is the type of packaging that can provide to food the necessary protection conditions, but at the same type is biodegradable and can be disposed as organic waste to the landfills in order to biodegrade through a natural procedure. In this way, sustainable packaging becomes part of the circular economy. ?Sustainable Food Packaging Technology? deals with packaging solutions that use engineered biopolymers or biocomposites that have suitable physicochemical properties for food contact and protection and originate both from renewable or non-renewable resources, but in both cases are compostable or edible. Modified paper and cardboard with increased protective properties towards food while keeping their compostability are presented as well. The book also covers natural components that can make the packaging functional, e.g., by providing active protection to the food indicating food spoilage. * Addresses urgent problems: food packaging creates a lot of hard-to-recycle waste - this book puts forward more sustainable solutions using biodegradable materials * State-of-the-art: ?Sustainable Food Packaging Technology? provides knowledge on new developments in functional packaging * From lab to large-scale applications: expert authors report on the technology aspects of sustainable packaging

Recent developments in multifunctional and nanoreinforced polymers have provided the opportunity to produce high barrier, active and intelligent food packaging which can help ensure, or even enhance, the quality and safety of packaged foods. Multifunctional and nanoreinforced polymers for food packaging provides a comprehensive review of novel polymers and polymer nanocomposites for use in food packaging. After an introductory chapter, Part one discusses nanofillers for plastics in food packaging. Chapters explore the use of passive and active nanoclays and hidrotalcites, cellulose nanofillers and electrospun nanofibers and nanocapsules. Part two investigates high barrier plastics for food packaging. Chapters assess the transport and high barrier properties of food packaging polymers such as ethylene-norbornene copolymers and advanced single-site polyolefins, nylon-MXD6 resins and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers before going on to explore recent advances in various plastic packaging technologies such as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), nanoscale inorganic coatings and functional barriers against migration. Part three reviews active and bioactive plastics in food packaging. Chapters investigate silver-based antimicrobial polymers, the incorporation of antimicrobial/antioxidant natural extracts into polymeric films, and biaoctive food packaging strategies. Part four examines nanotechnology in sustainable plastics with chapters examining the food packaging applications of polylactic acid (PLA) nanocomposites, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), starch-based polymers, chitosan and carragenan polysaccharides and protein-based resins for packaging gluten (WG)-based materials. The final chapter presents the safety and regulatory aspects of plastics as food packaging materials. With its distinguished editor and international team of expert contributors Multifunctional and nanoreinforced polymers for food packaging proves a valuable resource for researchers in packaging in the food industry and polymer scientists interested in multifunctional and nanoreinforced materials. Provides a comprehensive review of novel polymers and polymer nanocomposites for use in food packaging Discusses nanofillers for plastics in food packaging including the use of passive and active nanoclays and hidrotalcites and electrospun nanofibers Investigates high barrier plastics for food packaging assessing recent advances in various plastic packaging technologies such as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)

This book focuses on food, non-food, and industrial packaging applications of polymers, blends, nanostructured materials, macro, micro and nanocomposites, and renewable and biodegradable materials. It details physical, thermal, and barrier properties as well as sustainability, recycling, and regulatory issues. The book emphasizes interdis