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Next-generation sustainable edible coatings and biodegradable films derived from agricultural waste for advanced postharvest preservation
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This review summarizes research on making food packaging from farm leftovers like fruit peels and husks, instead of plastic. These materials can be formed into edible coatings or films that may help keep fruits and vegetables fresh longer, though challenges remain around cost, safety testing, and large-scale production.
Postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables pose a major challenge to global food security and sustainable food production. Conventional plastic packaging provides effective protection but contributes substantially to environmental pollution, creating a need for sustainable alternatives. This review examines the development of next-generation edible coatings and biodegradable films derived from agricultural residues, including fruit peels, pulp, lignocellulosic byproducts, and cereal husks. Emphasis is placed on the extraction and utilization of pectin, cellulose, proteins, and starch as functional biopolymers for postharvest applications. Advanced formulations can provide antimicrobial, antioxidant, moisture-barrier, and other functional properties that help maintain the quality and extend the shelf life of fresh produce during storage and transportation. These waste-derived materials also support circular-economy principles by converting agricultural residues into value-added packaging materials while reducing dependence on petroleum-based plastics. However, their broader application remains constrained by raw-material variability, extraction efficiency, formulation optimization, scalability, cost, food safety, regulatory requirements, and consumer acceptance. This review critically evaluates recent advances, current limitations, and future opportunities for agricultural-waste-derived coatings and films, with particular attention to their preservation performance and potential for industrial translation. The review highlights research priorities needed to develop safe, economically viable, and scalable packaging technologies for sustainable postharvest preservation. Agricultural waste-derived biopolymers enable sustainable postharvest packaging. Fruit peels, cereal residues, and agro-industrial by-products provide valuable packaging materials. Advanced extraction and formulation strategies improve film functionality and preservation performance. Active and intelligent systems enhance barrier, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and monitoring functions. Scalability, food safety, standardization, cost, and regulatory approval remain key challenges.
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Researchers reviewed the use of agricultural residues — including citrus, mango, pomegranate, and potato peels — as feedstocks for biodegradable edible films, examining polysaccharide-, protein-, lipid-, and composite-based formulations alongside modern processing techniques, demonstrating that agri-waste valorization can extend food shelf life while reducing reliance on petroleum-based plastic packaging.
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Researchers reviewed how fruit and vegetable processing waste — rich in polyphenols, vitamins, and fiber — can be transformed into biodegradable food packaging films and coatings, offering an eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastic packaging. Repurposing food waste this way could simultaneously reduce plastic pollution (including microplastics from packaging degradation) and address agricultural waste disposal challenges.
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Researchers reviewed how agricultural and industrial fruit waste — including peels, seeds, and pomace — can be converted into multifunctional bio-based food packaging materials with demonstrated antimicrobial, antioxidant, and shelf-life-extending properties, while identifying scalability and regulatory alignment as key barriers to widespread adoption.
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This review examines how agricultural residues such as rice husks, corn cobs, and fruit peels can be converted into biodegradable polymers as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastic food packaging. Key biopolymers discussed include cellulose, starch, proteins, PHA, and PLA, with findings highlighting promising properties alongside ongoing challenges in cost, mechanical performance, and food safety compliance.
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