Biodegradable films and composite coatings: past, present and future.

Tharanathan, R. N. (2003) Biodegradable films and composite coatings: past, present and future. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 14. pp. 71-78.

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Abstract

Food packaging is concerned with the preservation and protection of all types of foods and their raw materials, particularly from oxidative and microbial spoilage and also to extend their shelf-life characteristics. Increased use of synthetic packaging films has led to serious ecological problems due to their total non-biodegradability. Continuous awareness by one and all towards environmental pollution by the latter and as a result the need for a safe, eco-friendly atmosphere has led to a paradigm shift on the use of biodegradable materials, especially from renewable agriculture feedstock and marine food processing industry wastes. Such an approach amounts to natural resource conservation and recyclability as well as generation of new, innovative design and use. Their total biodegradation to environmentally friendly benign products such as CO2, water and quality compost is the turning point which needs to be capitalized and encashed. Polymer cross-linking and graft copolymerization of natural polymers with synthetic monomers are other alternatives of value in biodegradable packaging films. Although their complete replacement for synthetic plastics is just impossible to achieve and perhaps may be even unnecessary, at least for a few specific applications our attention and needful are required in the days to come. No doubt, eventually BIOPACKAGING will be our future.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Food packaging; synthetic packaging films; environmental pollution; biodegradation
Subjects:	600 Technology > 08 Food technology > 06 Preservation and Storage > 06 Packaging 500 Natural Sciences and Mathematics > 05 Earth Sciences > 03 Environmental Sciences
Divisions:	Dept. of Biochemistry
Depositing User:	Food Sci. & Technol. Information Services
Date Deposited:	10 Aug 2011 11:38
Last Modified:	28 Dec 2011 10:28
URI:	http://ir.cftri.res.in/id/eprint/10441

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