ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses recent information on biodegradable multilayer films for application as food packaging. The technique of multilayers elaboration presents itself as a promising choice for the improvement of properties of biodegradable films. Although not many studies have been found, the materials most used in the development of multilayer films are chitosan, gelatin and polylactic acid (PLA). These materials already have good properties as individual films, and the improvement of these is sought through the multilayer technique, which is applied through different methods, among which casting stands out as the most used due to its simple operation, low cost and matrix produced with good characteristics. Although the use of multilayers presents some advantages such as the combination of the different properties of the individual polymers, the multilayers still present some fragilities, which justifies the use of some innovative strategies of chemical and/or physical modifications to further improve the properties of these films. The application of biodegradable multilayers as food packaging, as well as the investigation of different materials and methods for their elaboration, is still scarce in the literature, which limits their inclusion in the packaging market and suggests that much remains to be investigated in this area.
