The ultimate goal of new food packaging technologies, in addition to maintaining the quality and safety of food for the consumer, is to consider environmental concerns and reduce its impacts. In this regard, one of the solutions is to use ecofriendly biopolymers instead of conventional petroleum-based polymers. However, the challenges of using biopolymers in the food packaging industry should be carefully evaluated, and techniques to eliminate or minimize their disadvantages should be investigated. Many studies have been conducted to improve the properties of biopolymer-based packaging materials to produce a favorable product for the food industry. This article reviews the structure of biopolymer-based materials and discusses the trends and challenges of using these materials in food packaging technologies with the focus on nanotechnology and based on recent studies.

This is the first-ever scientific report on melt blending of two tough home-compostable bioplastics, namely, bio-based poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) (BioPBSA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). The micrographs from scanning electron microscopy showed that the morphology changed from a droplet-matrix to a co-continuous one as the PBAT concentration was increased in blends. Rheological studies revealed an increase in viscosity and storage modulus of some blends, specifically, the one with 30 wt % of PBAT, as compared to neat biopolymers, as evidence of compatibilization between two bioplastics. The crystallization temperature of PBAT reduced in the presence of BioPBSA, but the presence of a solid PBAT phase did not affect the crystallization of BioPBSA significantly. PBAT showed high capability to enhance the %elongation at break of BioPBSA except in blends with an equal concentration of biopolymers. The appropriate blends having balanced melt elasticity and %elongation show promise for flexible packaging uses as sustainable alternatives to their non-biodegradable plastics such as polyethylene.

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