As an area of high topical interest, Biopolymers – New materials for Sustainable Films and Coatings covers the development and utilization of polymers derived from bioresources, with a particular focus on film and coating applications. With growing concern for the environment and the rising price of crude oil, there is increasing demand for non-petroleum-based polymers from renewable resources. Leading research groups worldwide in industry and academe are working on such technology with the objective of applying the latest advances in the field. Written by well-respected experts, this text systematically covers the extraction and production of selected biopolymers as well as their properties and application as films or coatings in a variety of uses. The areas addressed include food packaging, edible coatings, paper coatings and agricultural films. Intended for researchers and students, this book will also be of interest to industry, especially in terms of the practical applications.

This volume presents the most up-to-date and detailed information available on protein-based biopolymer films and coatings. It provides a comprehensive overview of the design, technology, properties, functionality, and applications of biopolymer films and coatings (edible and inedible) from plant and animal proteins. Both widely commercialized and

Edible films and coatings play an important role in the quality, safety, transportation, storage, and display of a wide range of fresh and processed foods. Edible films and coatings, while preventing moisture loss and maintaining quality, prevent spoilage and microbial contamination of foods. The edible film and coating industry is now a multimillion dollar industry. Less than $1 million in 1999, the market has grown to more than $100 million and is expected to grow to $350 million by 2008, according to James Rossman of Rossman Consulting. Pharmaceutical and consumer products have been responsible for the tremendous increase. This growth has produced an enormous amount of scientific articles, patents, and research projects undertaken by members of the food industry, academia, and research institutions. Edible Films and Coatings for Food Applications brings together this vast wealth of scientific knowledge in a systematically organized volume. It examines the science, application, function, and market for edible films and coatings.

With the growing concern for the environment and the rising price of crude oil, there is increasing demand for non-petroleum-based polymers from renewable resources. Biopolymer films have been regarded as potential replacements for synthetic films in food packaging due to a strong marketing trend toward environmentally friendly materials. Biopolymer-based films and coatings display good barrier properties, flexibility, transparency, economic profitability, and environmental compatibility. Therefore, they have successfully been used for packaging various food products. Biopolymer-Based Films and Coatings: Trends and Challenges elaborates on the recent methods and ingredients for making biodegradable films and coatings, as well as the current requirements for food security and environmental issues. This book also explores films and coatings prepared with essential oils, antimicrobial substances, and bioactive components that make up this active packaging. Films and coating chapters are based on biopolymers used to prepare films and coatings, that is, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and so on. This book provides a platform for researchers and industrialists on the basic and advanced concepts of films and coatings. Key Features Provides a comprehensive analysis of recent findings on biopolymers (carbohydrate-, protein-, and lipid-) based films and coatings Contains a wealth of new information on the properties, functionality, and applications of films and coatings Presents possible active and functional components and ingredients for developing films and coatings. Guides start-up researchers on where to start the latest research work in packaging It has been estimated that the global production of bioplastics is set to hike from ~2.11 in 2020 to ~2.87 million tonnes in 2025. Further, the demand for fresh, ready-to-eat, or semi-finished foods is increasing, and the need to maintain food safety and quality further exacerbates the challenges in the supply chain, especially with the globalization of food trade and the use of centralized processing facilities for food distribution. It is an urgent requirement to increase shelf life and reduce food product loss. Considering the great market demand for biodegradable material-based packaging systems, this book comes at an opportune time to enable researchers and food scientists to develop suitable solutions considering the sustainability and economic feasibility of the process.

Biopolymer-Based Formulations: Biomedical and Food Applications presents the latest advances in the synthesis and characterization of advanced biopolymeric formulations and their state-of-the-art applications across biomedicine and food science. Sections cover the fundamentals, applications, future trends, environmental, ethical and medical considerations, and biopolymeric architectures that are organized in nano, micro and macro scales. The final section of the book focuses on novel applications and recent developments. This book is an essential resource for researchers, scientists and advanced students in biopolymer science, polymer science, polymer chemistry, polymer composites, plastics engineering, biomaterials, materials science, biomedical engineering, and more. It will also be of interest to R&D professionals, scientists and engineers across the plastics, food, biomedical and pharmaceutical industries. - Provides in-depth coverage of methods for the characterization of the physical properties of biopolymeric architectures - Supports a range of novel applications, including scaffolds, implant coatings, drug delivery, and nutraceutical encapsulation systems - Includes the use of experimental data and mathematical modeling, thus enabling the reader to analyze and compare the properties of different polymeric gels

Biopolymer-Based Food Packaging Explore the latest developments and advancements in biopolymer-based food packaging In Biopolymer-Based Food Packaging: Innovations and Technology Applications, a team of accomplished researchers delivers a complete, systematic, and sequential account of the contemporary developments in the application of biopolymers for sustainable food packaging. This book introduces the fabrication, characterization as well as benefits arising from the enhanced functionalities of biopolymer-based food packaging materials. The authors introduce various polysaccharide, protein, and microbial polymer-based food packaging films and coatings, as well as biopolymer-based blends and nanocomposites. Importance of these materials as active and intelligent food packaging systems is also introduced. Finally, the book explores biopolymer-based edible food packaging, and its efficacy in extending the shelf-life of perishable food items using sustainable materials and processes suitable for the future of circular economies around the world. Readers will also find: A thorough introduction to the incorporation of nanomaterials as fillers to improve the physico-chemical, mechanical, thermal, barrier, optical, and antimicrobial properties of food packaging nanocomposites Comprehensive discussions of the use of plant-based bioactive compounds, including essential oils, in biopolymer-based food packaging Practical examinations of silver and zinc oxide nanoparticles in food packaging In-depth treatments of polylactic acid-based composites for food packaging applications Biopolymer-Based Food Packaging: Innovations and Technology Applications is an invaluable resource for academic researchers and professionals in food packaging and related industries, as well as research scholars, graduate students, and entrepreneurs working and studying in the field of food preservation, environmental safety, and human health with a focus on the sustainable future.

Industrialists developing new food and pharmaceutical products face the challenge of innovation in an increasingly competitive market that must consider incredient cost, product added-value, expectations of a healthy life-style, improved sensory impact, controlled delivery of active compounds and last, but not lease, product stability. While much work has been done to explore, understand, and address these issues, a gap has emerged between recent advances in fundamental knowledge and its direct application to product situations with a growing need for scientific input.Modern Biopolymer Science matches science to application by first acknowledging the differing viewpoints between those working with low-solids and those working with high-solids, and then sharing the expertise of those two camps under a unified framework of materials science. - Real-world utilisation of fundamental science to achieve breakthroughs in product development - Includes a wide range of related aspects of low and high-solids systems for foods and pharmaceuticals - Covers more than bio-olymer science in foods by including biopolymer interactions with bioactive compounds, issues of importance in drug delivery and medicinal chemistry

The search for better strategies to preserve foods with minimal changes during processing has been of great interest in recent decades. Traditionally, edible films and coatings have been used as a partial barrier to moisture, oxygen, and carbon dioxide through selective permeability to gases, as well as improving mechanical handling properties. The advances in this area have been breathtaking, and in fact their implementation in the industry is already a reality. Even so, there are still new developments in various fields and from various perspectives worth reporting. Edible Films and Coatings: Fundamentals and Applications discusses the newest generation of edible films and coatings that are being especially designed to allow the incorporation and/or controlled release of specific additives by means of nanoencapsulation, layer-by-layer assembly, and other promising technologies. Covering the latest novelties in research conducted in the field of edible packaging, it considers state-of-the-art innovations in coatings and films; novel applications, particularly in the design of gourmet foods; new advances in the incorporation of bioactive compounds; and potential applications in agronomy, an as yet little explored area, which could provide considerable advances in the preservation and quality of foods in the field.

Biopolymer Membranes and Films: Health, Food, Environment, and Energy Applications presents the latest techniques for the design and preparation of biopolymer-based membranes and films, leading to a range of cutting-edge applications. The first part of the book introduces the fundamentals of biopolymers, two-dimensional systems, and the characterization of biopolymer membranes and films, considering physicochemical, mechanical and barrier properties. Subsequent sections are organized by application area, with each chapter explaining how biopolymer-based membranes or films can be developed for specific innovative uses across the health, food, environmental and energy sectors. This book is a valuable resource for researchers, scientists and advanced students involved in biopolymer science, polymer membranes and films, polymer chemistry and materials science, as well as for those in industry and academia who are looking to develop materials for advanced applications in the health, food science, environment or energy industries. - Presents detailed coverage of a range of novel applications in key strategic areas across health, food, environment and energy - Considers the difficulties associated with two-dimensional materials - Assists the reader in selecting the best materials and properties for specific applications - Helps researchers, scientists and engineers combine the enhanced properties of membranes and films with the sustainable characteristics of biopolymer-based materials

Nanotechnology-Enhanced Food Packaging Timely overview of functional food packaging made with nanotechnology and nanomaterials In Nanotechnology-Enhanced Food Packaging, a distinguished group of researchers delivers a comprehensive and insightful introduction to the application of nanomaterials in food packaging. This edited volume covers recent innovations—as well as future perspectives—in the industry and offers a complete overview of different types of nanomaterials used in food packaging. The book also discusses the use of nanoparticles in the development of active and functional food packaging and the related environmental and toxicological aspects. Featuring one-of-a-kind contributions from leaders in the field, Nanotechnology-Enhanced Food Packaging provides real-world solutions to food packaging challenges and considers the legislative and economic implications of new technologies. Among the new developments in nanotechnology-enhanced food packaging covered by the book are: Thorough introduction to biopolymers in food packaging systems and nanostructures based on starch, their preparation, processing, and applications in packaging Comprehensive explorations of chitosan-based nanoparticles and their applications in the food industry Practical discussions of active packaging systems based on metal oxide nanoparticles and an overview of higher barrier packaging using nano-additives In-depth examinations of the characterization techniques for nanostructures in food packaging Perfect for materials scientists, food technologists, and polymer chemists, Nanotechnology-Enhanced Food Packaging also belongs on the bookshelves of plastics technologists and allied professionals in the food industry.