Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Chitosan with Natural Additives as a Potential Food Packaging

Researchers reviewed the potential of chitosan, a natural polymer derived from chitin, as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic food packaging. Chitosan-based materials combined with natural additives show promising antimicrobial and biocompatible properties while being biodegradable. The study suggests these materials could help reduce plastic packaging waste and the associated microplastic pollution from food industry sources.

2023 Materials 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Role of Chitosan in Fabricating Biodegradable Films for Functional Food Packaging: A Review

This review examines the use of chitosan — a biopolymer derived from crustacean shells — in fabricating biodegradable food packaging films, evaluating its mechanical, antimicrobial, and barrier properties as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics.

2023 Journal of Young Pharmacists 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Chitosan as a sustainable alternative for fresh food packaging: Structural insights, modification strategies, and innovations for commercial viability

Researchers reviewed how chitosan — a natural biopolymer derived from crustacean shells — can serve as a biodegradable alternative to single-use plastic food packaging, detailing chemical modification strategies, nanocomposite reinforcement approaches, and recent advances in antimicrobial and antioxidant performance that improve its commercial viability.

2025 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 13 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of advancements in chitosan-essential oil composite films: Better and sustainable food preservation with biodegradable packaging

This review covers how films made from chitosan (a natural material from shellfish) combined with essential oils are being developed as biodegradable food packaging to replace conventional plastics. By reducing reliance on plastic packaging, these alternatives could help decrease the amount of microplastics that migrate into food and are ultimately consumed by people.

2024 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Sugar kelp Saccharina latissima extract as an innovative ingredient for chitosan films: Case study as cheese slice separators

This paper is not about microplastics; it develops chitosan films enriched with sugar kelp extract as natural, antioxidant food-packaging separators for sliced cheese, testing their mechanical and barrier properties.

2023 Food Hydrocolloids 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Research progress of biomass-based food packaging materials

This review examines biomass-based food packaging materials — including starch, cellulose, proteins, and chitosan — as renewable and biodegradable alternatives to petroleum-based packaging, discussing development strategies to address current shortcomings in environmental performance, food safety, and functional diversity in the context of growing global microplastic pollution from packaging.

2025 SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología
Article Tier 2

Eco-Friendly Fungal Chitosan-Silica Dual-Shell Microcapsules with Tailored Mechanical and Barrier Properties for Potential Consumer Product Applications

Researchers developed eco-friendly dual-shell microcapsules made from fungal chitosan and silica to encapsulate fragrance oil, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional polymer-shelled perfume microcapsules. The capsules showed tailored mechanical and barrier properties suitable for cosmetic and consumer product applications.

2024 ACS Omega 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Growing a circular economy with fungal biotechnology: a white paper

Researchers outlined how fungal biotechnology can drive a shift away from petroleum-based products toward a sustainable circular economy, offering solutions ranging from biodegradable plastics to food, fuel, and materials — with the potential to significantly reduce plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

2020 Fungal Biology and Biotechnology 494 citations
Article Tier 2

The Environmental and Economic Viability of Chitosan Production in Guayas-Ecuador: A Robust Investment and Life Cycle Analysis

Ecuadorian researchers analyzed the environmental and economic feasibility of producing chitosan—a biodegradable biopolymer—from shrimp shell waste. Chitosan has potential applications as a natural plastic alternative and as a flocculant for removing microplastics from water.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancements in Chitosan–Anthocyanin Composite Films: Sustainable Food Preservation with Biodegradable Packaging

This review covers recent progress in developing biodegradable food packaging made from chitosan (derived from shellfish) combined with anthocyanins (plant pigments), which can preserve food freshness while avoiding the microplastic contamination associated with traditional plastic packaging. These films have antibacterial and antioxidant properties and can even change color to indicate food spoilage, offering a promising alternative to single-use plastics.

2025 Foods 10 citations
Article Tier 2

The use of chitosan for water purification from microplastics

Researchers investigated chitosan as a sorbent for removing microplastics from water, analyzing its physicochemical properties and proposing an optimized purification method based on chitosan's sorption characteristics.

2025 Open MIND
Article Tier 2

An Antibacterial and Antioxidant Food Packaging Film Based on Amphiphilic Polypeptides‐Resveratrol‐Chitosan

Researchers developed a biodegradable food packaging film made from natural materials including chitosan and resveratrol that kills bacteria and prevents food spoilage. Unlike conventional plastic packaging that breaks down into microplastics, this film is made entirely from biological materials and poses no microplastic contamination risk. This type of eco-friendly alternative could help reduce the microplastics that enter the food supply through traditional plastic packaging.

2024 Small 10 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Foods 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Properties of Chitosan Monofilament from Mushroom Mycelium

Researchers extracted chitosan from the mycelium of three mushroom species — Ganoderma lucidum, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Schizophyllum commune — and formed it into monofilament through wet spinning as an alternative to synthetic and natural fibers that release microplastics. Mushroom mycelium chitosan showed greater deacetylation (82.8-84.8%) and lower molecular weight than commercial chitosan, and its addition improved the surface quality and tensile strength of the resulting monofilament.

2024 KSBB Journal
Article Tier 2

Recent trends in the application of films and coatings based on starch, cellulose, chitin, chitosan, xanthan, gellan, pullulan, Arabic gum, alginate, pectin, and carrageenan in food packaging

This review covers the latest advances in using natural polysaccharides like starch, chitosan, and cellulose to create biodegradable food packaging as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics. Replacing conventional plastic packaging with these biopolymer-based materials could help reduce the generation of microplastics that contaminate food and ultimately enter the human body.

2024 Food Frontiers 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Addition of Anadara Granosa Shell Chitosan in Production Bioplastics

Researchers optimized the composition of bioplastics made from tapioca waste with the addition of blood clam shell chitosan and glycerol, evaluating the quality characteristics of this biodegradable composite material as an eco-friendly plastic alternative.

2023 Jurnal Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Alam dan Lingkungan (Journal of Natural Resources and Environmental Management) 5 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

Agar-Agar and Chitosan as Precursors in the Synthesis of Functional Film for Foods: A Review

This paper is not about microplastics; it reviews the use of agar-agar and chitosan biopolymers to develop sustainable natural packaging films for the food industry.

2023 Macromol—A Journal of Macromolecular Research 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Current trends, limitations and future research in the fungi?

This broad review of modern mycology (the study of fungi) covers emerging fungal diseases, drug discovery from fungi, genomics advances, and how fungi can be used in construction and circular economies. While not directly about microplastics, some fungi show promise for biodegrading plastic waste, making mycology research relevant to addressing microplastic pollution.

2024 Fungal Diversity 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Advances in Chitosan-Based Materials for Application in Catalysis and Adsorption of Emerging Contaminants

This review covers how chitosan, a natural material derived from shellfish shells, can be used to remove emerging contaminants including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and PFAS chemicals from water. Chitosan-based materials can be shaped into particles, membranes, and gels that effectively absorb a wide range of pollutants, offering a more sustainable alternative to conventional water treatment methods for reducing human exposure to harmful contaminants.

2024 Sustainability 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Two Fascinating Polysaccharides: Chitosan and Starch. Some Prominent Characterizations for Applying as Eco-Friendly Food Packaging and Pollutant Remover in Aqueous Medium. Progress in Recent Years: A Review

This review examines the properties of chitosan and starch—two biodegradable natural polymers—and their potential as eco-friendly replacements for petroleum-based plastic packaging. The authors summarize recent progress in improving these materials' strength, water resistance, and pollutant removal capabilities.

2021 Polymers 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Starch/Pectin as Emerging Renewable Materials for Fabrication of Sustainable Bioplastics for Food Packaging Applications

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper describes the development of biodegradable food packaging films made from plant-based starch, pectin, and chitosan, focused on replacing conventional plastics rather than studying their pollution.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable Packaging Materials for Foods Preservation: Sources, Advantages, Limitations, and Future Perspectives

This review examines biodegradable packaging materials derived from natural sources as alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics for food preservation. Researchers found that materials made from polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids can effectively extend food shelf life while being more environmentally friendly. The study acknowledges that cost and performance limitations remain, but highlights recent advances in combining these natural materials with antimicrobial and antioxidant agents to improve their practical viability.

2023 Coatings 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental and Economic Viability of Chitosan Production in Guayas-Ecuador: A Robust Investment and Life Cycle Analysis

Researchers evaluated the environmental and economic feasibility of producing chitosan, a biopolymer derived from shrimp shell waste, in Ecuador. They found that the process is financially viable and offers environmental benefits compared to disposing of shrimp waste, which is generated in enormous quantities by Ecuador's shrimp industry. The study suggests that converting seafood processing waste into valuable biopolymers could reduce both pollution and dependence on petroleum-based plastics.

2021 ACS Omega 120 citations