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Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to Plastics in Food Packaging: Trends, Innovations and Environmental Impact
ClearSustainable and Bio-Based Food Packaging: A Review on Past and Current Design Innovations
This review covers innovations in food packaging materials, including bio-based and biodegradable options, smart sensors that detect spoilage, and active packaging that extends shelf life. Understanding packaging alternatives is relevant to microplastic concerns because conventional plastic packaging is a major source of micro- and nanoplastic contamination in food.
Evolution of biobased and nanotechnology packaging – a review
This review traces the evolution of bio-based and nanotechnology food packaging, covering material advances, barrier properties, and end-of-life considerations. It discusses how conventional synthetic packaging contributes to marine microplastic pollution and how biodegradable bio-based alternatives could reduce this impact.
Materials
This paper reviews advances in nanocomposite and biopolymer-based food packaging materials, noting that microplastic pollution has been detected globally and is a recognized threat to ecosystem and human health. It briefly contextualises microplastics as a motivation for developing biodegradable packaging alternatives, though the primary focus is materials science rather than microplastics research per se.
Current trends in biopolymers for food packaging: a review
This review covers the latest developments in biopolymer-based food packaging, including biodegradable films, edible coatings, and active or smart packaging systems. Researchers found that while these sustainable alternatives show promise, they still face challenges in matching the moisture, heat, and barrier properties of conventional petroleum-based plastics. The study highlights ongoing efforts to improve these materials so they can realistically replace traditional plastic packaging.
Bio-based and Sustainable Food Packaging Technology: Relevance, Challenges and Prospects
A review assessed bio-based and sustainable food packaging technologies, evaluating their relevance as replacements for conventional plastic packaging that generates microplastic pollution. The study identifies the most promising materials and the barriers to scaling up plastic-free food packaging.
Biopolymer-based solutions for enhanced safety and quality assurance: A review
Researchers review how biopolymers are replacing petroleum-based plastics across the food industry, covering antimicrobial packaging, edible coatings, bioactive encapsulation, and smart polymer functions such as pH sensing and time-temperature monitoring that reduce food waste and microplastic pollution.
A Review on Replacing Food Packaging Plastics with Nature-Inspired Bio-Based Materials
Researchers reviewed bio-based materials inspired by nature as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based food packaging plastics. The study highlights that while conventional plastic packaging is effective for food preservation, its environmental impact has driven research into biodegradable and compostable alternatives that could reduce plastic waste and microplastic generation.
Application of Nanotechnology in Sustainable Food Packaging
This review examines nanotechnology applications in sustainable food packaging, covering how nano-enhanced biodegradable biopolymers improve barrier properties and food safety while addressing plastic pollution and reducing reliance on conventional single-use plastics.
A Comprehensive Review of Biodegradable Polymer-Based Films and Coatings and Their Food Packaging Applications
This review covers the development of biodegradable polymer-based films and coatings as alternatives to conventional plastic food packaging. While these bio-based materials reduce long-term environmental pollution, the review notes that they can still break down into microplastic particles under certain conditions. The shift to biodegradable packaging may reduce but not eliminate the food packaging contribution to microplastic pollution and human exposure.
Evolution of Food Packaging and Its Effect on Human Food
This review traces the evolution of food packaging materials from ancient times to the present, covering the transition from natural materials to modern plastics and the associated concerns about chemical migration and microplastic generation. It discusses biodegradable and active packaging alternatives as part of sustainable food system innovation.
Advancements in the biopolymer films for food packaging applications: a short review
This review covers advances in biodegradable biopolymer films being developed to replace conventional plastic food packaging, which breaks down into microplastics that contaminate soil and water. While these plant-based alternatives show promise for reducing microplastic pollution, they still need improvements in strength and durability before they can compete with conventional plastics at commercial scale.
Microplastic and Nanoplastic Pollution in Water Bodies from Conventional Packaging Materials
This review examines the occurrence of microplastics and nanoplastics in water bodies originating from conventional packaging materials, covering the pathways by which packaging-derived particles enter aquatic environments, their toxicological roles as contaminant carriers, and risks to ecosystems and human health via food chain bioaccumulation.
Plastic materials used in the food industry, their influence on health, and potential solutions
This review examines how plastics used in food packaging gradually degrade into microplastics that leach into food and beverages, posing potential health risks to consumers. It surveys the main plastic types used in the food industry, the health concerns associated with microplastic and additive exposure, and proposed solutions including biodegradable alternatives. The findings underscore that everyday food packaging is a significant and underappreciated source of microplastic exposure for the general public.
A Review on Biopolymer-Based Biodegradable Film for Food Packaging: Trends over the Last Decade and Future Research
This systematic review explores biodegradable packaging made from natural materials like starch and proteins as alternatives to conventional plastics. Reducing plastic packaging is important because traditional plastics break down into microplastics that contaminate food and the environment.
The Green Era of Food Packaging: General Considerations and New Trends
This review covered the shift toward sustainable food packaging materials including biopolymers and biodegradable blends as alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics. The authors highlighted active packaging innovations where bio-based materials incorporate antimicrobial or antioxidant properties while meeting food safety and shelf-life requirements.
Bio-Based Smart Materials for Food Packaging and Sensors – A Review
This review examined bio-based smart packaging materials that combine sustainability with real-time food quality monitoring through integrated sensors. Researchers explored how biodegradable and renewable packaging materials with embedded bio-based sensors could help reduce food waste, increase shelf life, and decrease reliance on conventional petroleum-based plastics in the food industry.
Plasticor: Smarting Food Packages
Researchers developed Plasticor, a biodegradable smart food packaging concept designed to monitor food freshness and reduce both food waste and plastic pollution. Replacing conventional non-degradable plastic packaging with biodegradable alternatives could reduce the plastic that breaks down into environmental microplastics.
Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Impact of Biopolymer-Based and Conventional Plastic Packaging in Food Engineering Applications
This review compares plant-based biodegradable packaging materials with traditional plastics like PET and HDPE used in food packaging. While bioplastics produce fewer carbon emissions and break down more easily, they still face cost and performance challenges. The study matters because conventional plastic packaging is a major source of microplastic pollution in the environment.
From Classical to Advanced Use of Polymers in Food and Beverage Applications
This review covered the past decade of research on polymers used in food and beverage packaging, including advances in active packaging, smart sensing materials, and circular economy approaches. The authors outlined how polymer innovation is moving beyond passive containment toward materials that actively extend shelf-life, detect contamination, or signal spoilage.
Microplastics in food packaging: Analytical methods, health risks, and sustainable alternatives
This review examines how microplastics from food packaging materials can migrate into the food we eat during storage and handling. It evaluates analytical methods for detecting this contamination and suggests biodegradable polymers as promising eco-friendly alternatives, while noting that standardized testing methods and risk assessment frameworks are still needed.