ABSTRACT
Besides, biodegradable polymers, compostable polymers can be prominent alternatives of current packaging plastics. Extrusion is one of most efficient and widely used method to fabricate biobased polymer blends and composites films. Most widely used biopolymers for food packaging applications are natural biopolymers, such as cellulose, chitosan, starch and protein derivatives though they possess poor mechanical and barrier properties. Chitosan is another most abundant linear non-toxic biopolymer in nature. Starch-based biopolymer films are colorless, odorless, good barrier to oxygen and tasteless, makingthem a prominent candidate for food-packaging applications. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) packaging materials show high flexibility, good resistance to water and organic solvents but are susceptible to microbial attacks which trigger the biodegradability of PCL. Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) is an excellent candidate for food packaging applications due to its flexibility and biodegradability. The use of large amounts of recalcitrant polymers in the packaging industry is a cause for much concern in waste management.
