Natural Polymer-Based Films and Coatings for Food Packaging

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 April 2025 | Viewed by 2257

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Huayang Xilu 196, Yangzhou 225127, China
Interests: control of water sensitivity in polysaccharide-based films; edible super-hydrophobic functional packaging materials (self-cleaning, anti-adhesion, and antibacterial); exploration and utilization of noval starch resources; comprehensive utilization of grains and agricultural wastes

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Guest Editor
School of Food Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Huayang Xilu 196, Yangzhou 225127, China
Interests: edible films; functional films; controled-release films; food emulsions
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Guest Editor
College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, 2 Xueyuan Road, University New Area, Fuzhou 350108, China
Interests: study on the interaction between natural polymers (proteins, polysaccharides, etc.); design and development of food emulsions (pickering); natural polymer-based food packaging materials; natural polymer-based colloidal delivery systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is a sobering fact that more than 40% of fresh produce is wasted before it is eaten, according to the FAO. Packaging food and extending shelf life are crucial for the transportation and storage of food from farm to table. However, the non-degradability of petroleum-based plastic food packaging has led to serious environmental issues. The health impacts of microplastics are also under investigation. Therefore, the design and development of biopolymer-based food packaging materials, such as proteins and polysaccharides, are essential. Sustainable biopolymers with excellent film-forming properties are being utilized in the development of food packaging materials and have demonstrated promising results in food preservation. Thus, the aim of this Special Issue is to provide readers with an overview of the latest developments and advancements in biopolymer food packaging films aimed at extending the shelf life of foods. In this Special Issue, we encourage the submission of research articles, short communications, or reviews.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Improvement of mechanical properties of natural polymer materials;
  • Reduce the water sensitivity of natural polymer materials;
  • The potential applications in food packaging, active packaging and intelligent packaging;
  • Characterization of bio-based polymers that have potential as food packaging;
  • The shelf life of packaged food products, storage physicochemical stability during shelf life, and sensory changes during food storage;
  • Design and characterization of polysaccharide- or protein-based films, hydrogels;
  • Encapsulation and delivery of additives or bioactive substances.

Dr. Ying Chen
Dr. Liang Zhang
Dr. Yi Yuan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polysaccharide
  • protein
  • films
  • coatings
  • hydrogels
  • active packaging

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 7195 KiB  
Article
Electrospun Photodynamic Antibacterial Konjac Glucomannan/Polyvinylpyrrolidone Nanofibers Incorporated with Lignin-Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Curcumin for Food Packaging
by Huimin Xiao, Lin Wang, Nitong Bu, Jie Duan and Jie Pang
Foods 2024, 13(13), 2007; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13132007 - 25 Jun 2024
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Abstract
Due to the growing concerns surrounding microbial contamination and food safety, there has been a surge of interest in fabricating novel food packaging with highly efficient antibacterial activity. Herein, we describe novel photodynamic antibacterial konjac glucomannan (KGM)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers incorporated with lignin-zinc oxide [...] Read more.
Due to the growing concerns surrounding microbial contamination and food safety, there has been a surge of interest in fabricating novel food packaging with highly efficient antibacterial activity. Herein, we describe novel photodynamic antibacterial konjac glucomannan (KGM)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers incorporated with lignin-zinc oxide composite nanoparticles (L-ZnONPs) and curcumin (Cur) via electrospinning technology. The resulting KGM/PVP/Cur/L-ZnONPs nanofibers exhibited favorable hydrophobic properties (water contact angle: 118.1°), thermal stability, and flexibility (elongation at break: 241.9%). Notably, the inclusion of L-ZnONPs and Cur endowed the nanofibers with remarkable antioxidant (ABTS radical scavenging activity: 98.1%) and photodynamic antimicrobial properties, demonstrating enhanced inhibitory effect against both Staphylococcus aureus (inhibition: 12.4 mm) and Escherichia coli (12.1 mm). As a proof-of-concept study, we evaluated the feasibility of applying nanofibers to fresh strawberries, and the findings demonstrated that our nanofibers could delay strawberry spoilage and inhibit microbial growth. This photodynamic antimicrobial approach holds promise for design of highly efficient antibacterial food packaging, thereby contributing to enhanced food safety and quality assurance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Polymer-Based Films and Coatings for Food Packaging)
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Review

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32 pages, 3446 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Purple Sweet Potato Anthocyanins: Extraction, Isolation, Functional Properties and Applications in Biopolymer-Based Smart Packaging
by Dawei Yun, Yunlei Wu, Huimin Yong, Chao Tang, Dan Chen, Juan Kan and Jun Liu
Foods 2024, 13(21), 3485; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13213485 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 490
Abstract
Petroleum-based plastic packaging materials have negative impacts on the environment and food safety. Natural biopolymer-based food packaging materials are the proper substitutes for plastic-based ones, which is because biopolymers are nontoxic, biodegradable and even edible. The incorporation of bioactive and functional substances into [...] Read more.
Petroleum-based plastic packaging materials have negative impacts on the environment and food safety. Natural biopolymer-based food packaging materials are the proper substitutes for plastic-based ones, which is because biopolymers are nontoxic, biodegradable and even edible. The incorporation of bioactive and functional substances into a biopolymer-based film matrix can produce novel smart packaging materials. Anthocyanins, one class of natural colorants with potent antioxidant activity and pH-response color-changing ability, are suitable for producing biopolymer-based smart packaging films. The purple sweet potato is a functional food rich in anthocyanins. In the past decade, numerous studies have reported the extraction of anthocyanins from purple sweet potato and the utilization of purple sweet potato anthocyanins (PSPAs) in biopolymer-based smart packaging film production. However, no specific review has summarized the recent advances on biopolymer-based smart packaging films containing PSPAs. Therefore, in this review, we aim to systematically summarize the progress on the extraction, isolation, characterization, purification and functional properties of PSPAs. Moreover, we thoroughly introduce the preparation methods, physical properties, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, pH sensitivity, stability and applications of biopolymer-based smart packaging films containing PSPAs. Factors affecting the extraction and functional properties of PSPAs as well as the properties of biopolymer-based films containing PSPAs are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Polymer-Based Films and Coatings for Food Packaging)
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