ABSTRACT
I. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 43
II. Edible Films and Coatings ............................................................................................... 44
A. Polysaccharide-Based Coatings ............................................................................... 45
B. Lipid-Based Coatings ............................................................................................... 46
C. Protein-Based Coatings ............................................................................................ 46
D. Multicomponent Films ............................................................................................. 47
III. Biobased Packaging Materials ......................................................................................... 47
A. First Generation ........................................................................................................ 48
B. Second Generation ................................................................................................... 48
C. Third Generation ...................................................................................................... 49
1. Category 1 ......................................................................................................... 50
2. Category 2 ......................................................................................................... 50
3. Category 3 ......................................................................................................... 50
D. Properties of Biobased Packaging Materials ........................................................... 51
1. Barrier Properties .............................................................................................. 51
2. Mechanical Properties ....................................................................................... 51
E. Food Packaging Applications .................................................................................. 51
IV. Environmental Aspects .................................................................................................... 52
References ..................................................................................................................................... 53
With the exception of paper-based products, food-packaging materials have traditionally been
based on nonrenewable materials. This was not always so, and up until the beginning of the
twentieth century, packaging materials, together with other industrial products such as inks, dyes,
paints, medicines, chemicals, clothing and plastics were made from biologically-derived resources.
During the twentieth century, petroleum-derived chemicals replaced biologically-derived resources
for most of these industrial products.
