ABSTRACT
The application of natural polymers in food packaging has had enormous growth in recent decades. More recently, the biopolymers have been studied as matrices in the substitution of petroleum-based polymers due to their inherent characteristics such as biodegradability, atoxicity, synthesis with high reproducibility and low-cost, strength, flexibility, chemical inertness, solubility, barrier, and mechanical satisfactory properties. Biopolymers can be defined as any polymers (such as proteins and polysaccharides) originating from living organisms. Biopolymers can be of protein, animal, or agro origin. Thus, the main goal of this chapter is to present a short overview of biopolymers from natural resources, highlighting some recent publications in food packaging of different research groups.
