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Biopolymers for a Sustainable Food System: Sources, Applications, and Environmental Impacts
Summary
Biopolymers derived from natural sources such as plants, animals, and microorganisms offer a promising path toward more sustainable food systems. This review covers the major biopolymer sources, their applications in food packaging and preservation, and the technical and economic challenges that limit widespread adoption. Replacing petroleum-based plastics with biopolymers in food applications could significantly reduce the amount of persistent plastic waste entering the environment.
ABSTRACT The use of synthetic polymers in the food industry poses significant risk of contamination, global plastic waste, and pollution. In contrast, biopolymers offer a potential solution for a sustainable future. Derived from natural resources, biopolymers are biodegradable and compostable and do not leach hazardous chemicals into food, which make them ideal for various applications in the food industry, owing to the non‐leaching of hazardous chemicals into the food. Here, an overview of the potential of biopolymers to replace synthetic plastic in food is discussed. The degradation of biopolymers and their environmental impact, the formation of biopolymer films, the utilization of different biopolymers for sustainable solutions to synthetic polymers, and their advantages are thoroughly presented. This review is expected to guide food industry stakeholders in seeking biopolymers as sustainable and eco‐friendly alternatives to synthetic polymers.