Fabrication, performance, and potential environmental impacts of polysaccharide-based food packaging materials incorporated with phytochemicals: A review

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules 2023-09, Vol.249, p.125922-125922, Article 125922
• Main Authors: Wu, Yanbei, Yu, Xueling, Ding, Wei, Remón, Javier, Xin, Mengmeng, Sun, Tianjun, Wang, Thomas T.Y., Yu, Liangli (Lucy), Wang, Jing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alginate; Bioactivities; Chitosan; Food packaging; Phytochemicals; Starch
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125922

Although food packaging preserves food's quality, it unfortunately contributes to global climate change since the considerable carbon emissions associated with its entire life cycle. Polysaccharide-based packaging materials (PPMs) are promising options to preserve foods, potentially helping the food industry reduce its carbon footprint. PPMs incorporated with phytochemicals hold promise to address this critical issue, keep food fresh and prolong the shelf life. However, phytochemicals' health benefits are impacted by their distinct chemical structures thus the phytochemicals-incorporated PPMs generally exhibit differential performances. PPMs must be thoughtfully formulated to possess adequate physicochemical properties to meet commercial standards. Given this, this review first-time provides a comprehensive review of recent advances in the fabrication of phytochemicals incorporated PPMs. The application performances of phytochemicals-incorporated PPMs for preserving foods, as well as the intelligent monitoring of food quality, are thoroughly introduced. The possible associated environmental impacts and scalability challenges for the commercial application of these PPMs are also methodically assessed. This review seeks to provide comprehensive insights into exploring new avenues to achieve a greener and safer food industry via innovative food packaging materials. This is paramount to preserve not only food shelf life but also the environment, facilitating the eco-friendly development of the food industry. [Display omitted] •Active biopolymer-based packaging materials (BPMs) are current trends.•Fabrication and performance of phytochemicals-incorporated BPMs are overviewed.•Phytochemicals-incorporated BPMs improve the shelf-life, safety and quality of foods.•Phytochemicals are desirable options for developing active and smart food packaging.•Active BPM is paramount to preserve not only food freshness but also the environment.