Papers

61,005 results
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Clinical Trial Tier 1

Does the Hydrogel: Oleogel Ratio Affect the Physicochemical Properties of Gelatin–Beeswax Bioplastic Films?

This study found that varying the ratio of hydrogel to oleogel in gelatin-beeswax bioplastic films significantly affects their thickness, solubility, tensile strength, and water vapor transmission. The optimized formulations offer a biodegradable alternative to conventional plastic food packaging, which contributes to microplastic pollution as it degrades.

2026 Springer Link (Chiba Institute of Technology)
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Characterizations of Gelatin-Agar Bioplastics: An Eco-Friendly Alternative for Conventional Plastics

Researchers developed a gelatin-agar bioplastic film using glycerol as a plasticizer, finding that approximately 72% of the material degraded naturally within 18 days, with tensile strength up to 0.32 MPa and good water resistance, demonstrating potential as a biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based plastics.

2025 SciEn Conference Series Engineering
Article Tier 2

Wax Coatings for Paper Packaging Applications: Study of the Coating Effect on Surface, Mechanical, and Barrier Properties

Researchers evaluated environmentally friendly wax coatings, including beeswax, soywax, and biowax, for paper food packaging applications. The study found that beeswax-coated paper showed the best performance, improving water vapor barrier properties by approximately 77% and increasing tensile strength, offering a sustainable alternative to plastic-based food packaging materials.

2024 ACS Environmental Au 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Innovative whey protein isolate-based biopolymer film with glycerol for sustainable food packaging applications

Researchers developed a whey protein isolate-based biodegradable film plasticized with glycerol as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic food packaging, demonstrating comparable barrier properties and mechanical performance without generating persistent microplastic residues.

2025 Hybrid Advances 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Agar Biopolymer Films for Biodegradable Packaging: A Reference Dataset for Exploring the Limits of Mechanical Performance

Researchers developed a reference dataset for agar biopolymer films as biodegradable packaging alternatives, systematically testing mechanical performance with different plasticizer concentrations and providing a design-of-experiments framework to help optimize film properties for practical packaging applications.

2022 Materials 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of fish myofibrillar protein and apple pectin–konjac glucomannan on the physical, thermal, and micro-structural properties of biodegradable blend film

Despite its title referencing biodegradable film and biopolymers, this paper studies the physical and thermal properties of food packaging films made from fish protein, apple pectin, and konjac glucomannan — not microplastic pollution. It examines how varying protein concentration affects film mechanical performance and UV-blocking ability, and is not directly relevant to microplastics or human health.

2025 International Journal of Food Science & Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Preparation and investigation of the structural and mechanical properties of biodegradable gelatin- based films

Researchers prepared biodegradable gelatin-based films with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) additives for potential use as food packaging and drug carriers, then characterized their structural, mechanical, and barrier properties using SEM, roughness measurement, and IR spectroscopy. CMC addition decreased film strength and elastic modulus while maximizing deformation at a CMC/gelatin mass ratio of 0.7, with H-bond and electrostatic interactions between gelatin proteins and polysaccharide macromolecules stabilizing the film structure.

2024 The Journal of Almaty Technological University 1 citations
Review Tier 2

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.

2023 Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 130 citations
Article Tier 2

Performance of Gelatin Films Reinforced with Cloisite Na+ and Black Pepper Essential Oil Loaded Nanoemulsion

This study tested gelatin films reinforced with clay nanoparticles as a potential eco-friendly food packaging material, evaluating their mechanical and barrier properties. Developing effective biodegradable packaging alternatives is a key strategy for reducing the plastic waste that eventually breaks down into microplastics.

2021 Preprints.org 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Edible and Functionalized Films/Coatings—Performances and Perspectives

This review covers recent advances in edible and biodegradable food films and coatings made from biological materials, examining their performance properties and potential as sustainable replacements for conventional petroleum-based food packaging.

2020 Coatings 116 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Food Research International 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of different natural plasticizers on Ethyl Cellulose Oleogel bioplastic

Researchers investigated the effect of various natural plasticizers on the mechanical and physical properties of ethyl cellulose oleogel bioplastics, aiming to improve plasticity and processability as a biodegradable, biocompatible alternative to fossil-based packaging plastics.

2025
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Biotechnology for Sustainable Materials 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing water resistance and mechanical properties of starch‐based edible biofilms through chitosan, seaweed, and sodium tripolyphosphate modifications

Researchers developed improved starch-based edible biofilms using chitosan, seaweed, and sodium tripolyphosphate as sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic food wrapping. The study found that these modifications significantly enhanced the biofilms' mechanical strength and water resistance while maintaining non-toxic and antimicrobial properties, offering a promising eco-friendly replacement for conventional plastic packaging.

2024 Polymer Engineering and Science 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Edible Films Based on Fish Gelatin and Soluble Soybean Polysaccharide Enriched with Tea Polyphenol for Active Food Packaging

Researchers developed biodegradable edible films combining fish gelatin and soluble soybean polysaccharide enriched with natural additives, finding that the films showed good mechanical and barrier properties as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastic food packaging.

2025 Polymers 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancement In Mechanical Properties of Bioplastics Using Brown Algae and Eggshells— A Sustainable Method

Researchers developed bioplastic films incorporating brown algae and eggshell as reinforcing fillers, characterizing the mechanical and thermal properties of the resulting composites and finding that the bio-based additives improved tensile strength and biodegradability.

2025
Systematic Review Tier 1

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.

2023 Polymers 138 citations
Article Tier 2

A Review of Recent Developments in Edible Films and Coatings-Focus on Whey-Based Materials

This review examines how edible films and coatings made from whey protein could serve as biodegradable alternatives to petroleum-based plastic packaging for food. By replacing conventional plastic wrapping, these materials could help reduce microplastic generation from food packaging, which is a significant source of human microplastic exposure.

2024 Foods 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Production and characterization of human hair keratin bioplastic films with novel plasticizers

Researchers extracted keratin protein from human hair waste and used it to create thin biodegradable plastic films as an alternative to conventional plastics. The films showed good structural integrity, absorbed minimal water, and broke down when exposed to fungi, suggesting potential use in sustainable packaging and disposable products.

2024 Scientific Reports 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Fabrication of Lignin/Pbat Biodegradable Plastics Films via Reactive Extrusion and Their Thermal, Mechanical and Water Absorption Properties

Researchers developed biodegradable films made from poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and lignin as a sustainable alternative to conventional polyethylene packaging films. Replacing fossil-fuel-based plastic films with biodegradable alternatives could reduce the microplastic pollution that results from conventional plastic film degradation in the environment.

2023 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comparative Study Between Gelatin Methacrylate and Itaconic Acid Functionalized Gelatin Hydrogels

This paper is not about microplastic pollution. It compares two types of gelatin-based hydrogels (GelMA and a new itaconic acid variant) for biomedical applications like drug delivery and tissue engineering. It is a false positive in this dataset.

2024 Trepo - Institutional Repository of Tampere University
Article Tier 2

In Situ Constructing Highly Aligned Ribbon-like PHBV Lamellae in PBAT: Towards Strong, Ductile and High-Barrier PBAT/PHBV Films

Despite its title referencing biodegradable plastic film materials (PBAT and PHBV), this paper studies the materials science of fabricating high-performance biodegradable packaging films — not microplastic pollution or health effects. It examines how combining two bio-based polymers with a compatibilizer improves mechanical strength and barrier properties and is not directly relevant to microplastic exposure or human health impacts.

2025 Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of viscoelasticity and processability of bioplastics

Researchers studied the thermomechanical behavior and viscoelastic properties of two related bioplastic polymers using multiple processing and characterization techniques, aiming to better understand the processability of biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics.

2024 Digital Repository (Polytechnic University of Cartagena)
Article Tier 2

Environmental Properties of Coconut Fiber/Reinforced Thermoplastic Starch/Beeswax Hybrid Composites

This study developed biodegradable composite materials from thermoplastic starch, beeswax, and coconut fiber as an alternative to conventional plastic. Bio-based composites that replace petroleum-derived plastics help reduce the sources of microplastic pollution in soil and water.

2023 Pertanika journal of science & technology 2 citations