Guar Gum and Biopolymers Blend for Edible Film Composite Development: Sustainable Future Packaging Material

Abstract: Plastics shed microplastics into our bloodstream, causing genetic disorders, and do not enhance food’s shelf life. Biopolymers offer a high potential for mechanical protection, like plastics, with complete biodegradability. It serves as a mild preservative, a partial substitute for them, for shelf-life enhancement. Additionally, Food waste is a concern due to ineffective encap-sulation by conventional packaging, which UNEP and the Food Waste Index reports 1.05 billion tons per year, causing even more economic loss. Guar gum, a novel biochemical polymer, provides a highly sustainable solution to the problems, as its processing results in no harmful emissions. Also functions as a barrier against moisture, oxygen, and spoilage pathogens. In this context, much research has focused on its unmodified versatility and usability, as it demonstrates strong compatibility and synergy with food products. Therefore, edible film made from it focuses on offering convenience to farmers and consumers. Evidently, their applications in the last dec-ade have gained popularity in the food industry. Subsequently, researchers have tried to make and verify these films more compatible with advanced properties, resulting in new food products, us-ing Nanomaterials. However, as a food packaging material, the edibility of the material must be evaluated for compliance with food legislation. The review focuses on the latest research to gain insights into supporting sustainability, the circular economy, and boosting the novel area of consumer health, and to acquaint readers with the understanding role of guar gum in achieving a zero-cost, recyclable, and sustainable future.