Plastic and bioplastic-based nanocomposite materials for food packaging and preservation

As a vital part of the subject of food technology, food packaging is involved with the protection and preservation of all types of foods. Due to economic abundance, petrochemical plastics have been primarily used as a packaging material due to their desirable good barrier properties for oxygen and water vapor, aroma compounds, tensile strength, and tear strength. Meanwhile, they have a significant disadvantage as they are nonbiodegradable and result in environmental pollution. Keeping in view the nonrenewable nature and waste disposal problem of petroleum, a newer concept of bioplastics came into existence. Bioplastics of renewable origin are compostable or degradable by the enzymatic action of microorganisms. Generally, biodegradable polymers get hydrolyzed into CO2, CH4, inorganic compounds, or biomass. The use of bio-origin materials obtained through microbial fermentation, starch, and cellulose has led to their tremendous innovative benefits in food packaging in the last few years.