Bioplastics for Food Packaging Applications

Food packaging is an inevitable part of industrially produced food products and has four basic functions including containment, protection, convenience, and communication. Various types of packaging materials such as glass, metal, paper, and plastics are utilized in food packaging. Plastics constitute a major packaging material due to their low cost, ease of processability, barrier properties, and lightweight. However, a vast majority of plastics are based on petroleum and this creates issues of sustainability and environmental concerns. Bioplastics are plastics made from natural and renewable resources. Biopolymers based on plants, animals, and microorganisms are the core of bioplastics. Because some biopolymers are not biodegradable, biodegradable bioplastics are the most desirable for future packaging applications. Typical biopolymers used in bioplastics include but are not limited to starch, cellulose, chitosan, proteins, polylactic acid, and polyhydroxyalkanoates. These bioplastics can be utilized in various forms of food packaging such as edible coating, packaging film, bottles, trays, etc. Although bioplastics have been shown to have high potential for food packaging there are major challenges to improve their characteristics such as mechanical and barrier properties as well as processability and cost of their production. This chapter highlights and discusses the potential of biodegradable bioplastics in food packaging applications.