Biopolymer-based Films and Coatings: Trends and Challenges

With the growing concern for the environment and the rising price of crude oil, there is increasing demand for non-petroleum-based polymers from renewable resources. Biopolymer films have been regarded as potential replacements for synthetic films in food packaging due to a strong marketing trend toward environmentally friendly materials. Biopolymer-based films and coatings display good barrier properties, flexibility, transparency, economic profitability, and environmental compatibility. Therefore, they have successfully been used for packaging various food products.

on the recent methods and ingredients for making biodegradable films and coatings, as well as the current requirements for food security and environmental issues. This book also explores films and coatings prepared with essential oils, antimicrobial substances, and bioactive components that make up this active packaging. Films and coating chapters are based on biopolymers used to prepare films and coatings, that is, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and so on. This book provides a platform for researchers and industrialists on the basic and advanced concepts of films and coatings.

Key Features

• Provides a comprehensive analysis of recent findings on biopolymers (carbohydrate-, protein-, and lipid-) based films and coatings

• Contains a wealth of new information on the properties, functionality, and applications of films and coatings

• Presents possible active and functional components and ingredients for developing films and coatings.

• Guides start-up researchers on where to start the latest research work in packaging

It has been estimated that the global production of bioplastics is set to hike from ~2.11 in 2020 to ~2.87 million tonnes in 2025. Further, the demand for fresh, ready-to-eat, or semi-finished foods is increasing, and the need to maintain food safety and quality further exacerbates the challenges in the supply chain, especially with the globalization of food trade and the use of centralized processing facilities for food distribution. It is an urgent requirement to increase shelf life and reduce food product loss. Considering the great market demand for biodegradable material-based packaging systems, this book comes at an opportune time to enable researchers and food scientists to develop suitable solutions considering the sustainability and economic feasibility of the process.

Anil Kumar Siroha, Ph.D., is presently working as Assistant Professor (C) in the Food Science and Technology Department at Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa. He received his doctorate in Food Science and Technology at Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, India. His areas of interest include starch, starch modification, and the development of new products. He has published more than 30 research papers, 20 book chapters, three edited books, and one authored book. He also serves as a reviewer for various national and international journals. Dr. Siroha is an active member of the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (AFSTI) in Mysore, India. Dr. Siroha also co-supervised more than 25 research projects of M.Sc. students in the Food Science and Technology Department at Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, Haryana

Sneh Punia Bangar, Ph.D., is a researcher at Clemson University, United States. Earlier, she worked as Assistant Professor (C) in the Department of Food Science and Technology, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa. Her research interests include extraction and functional characterization of bioactive compounds, starches, functional foods, and nanocomposites films and coatings. She has presented her research at various national and international conferences and has published more than 100 research papers/book chapters in national and international journals/books. To date, she has authored or co-authored more than 80 (published/accepted), one book series, 2 authored books (CRC, Taylor, and Francis), 5 edited books (CRC Taylor and Francis, Springer, Elsevier), one reference book (CRC, Taylor, and Francis), 35 book chapters, 20 conference proceedings/seminars, and 3 Guest Editor of Journals special issues (Food Research International, International Journal of Food Science and Technology, Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, Foods and Polymers).