Functional bioplastics from food residual: Potentiality and safety issues

Abstract

Plastic pollution and food waste are two global issues with much in common.Plastic containers were introduced as a practical and easy remedy to improve food preservation and reduce the risk of creating waste, but ironically, to address one problem, another has been made worse. The spread of single-use containers has dramatically increased the amount of plastic that has to be discarded, and the most urgent task is now to find a solution to what has become part of the problem. An innovative way around it consists of promoting the valorization of food residues by turning them into novel materials for packaging.Although the results are promising, the aim of completely replacing plastics with biodegradable materials still seems far from being achieved. This review illustrates the main strategies adopted thus far to produce new bioplastic materials and composites from waste resources and focuses on the pros and cons of the food recovery process to look for the aspects that represent an obstacle to the development of the circular food economy on an industrial scale.

Transitioning of petroleum-based plastic food packaging to sustainable bio-based alternatives

“…Achieving this level of performance can be challenging when working with varied and inconsistent waste streams. 113 The last thing that needs to be considered is that the process of converting food waste into packaging materials must be economically viable. This includes considerations of the cost of collection, separation, extraction, and manufacturing processes.…”

Review on food waste valorisation for bioplastic production towards a circular economy: sustainable approaches and biodegradability assessment

“…It's interesting to note that, similar to methane or nitrous oxide industrial processes, the duration required for these biodegradable oxo products to degrade can be programmed during the manufacturing process. 21,22 However, compared to oxodegradable plastics, hydro-biodegradable plastics break down hydrolytically faster. Articial fertilizers can be created from such plastics.…”

“…Due to their inherent flexibility, biocompatibility, and degradability qualities, they are widely employed in various fields, such as environment, healthcare, food, and energy. 22 The global bioplastic market is divided into different regions, items, and uses based on price and quality. Due to strict regulations and widespread support for using bioplastics to reduce the negative environmental effects of synthetic polymeric materials, the European Union (EU) is the greatest user of bioplastics in the world.…”

Thermomechanical Plasticization of Fruits and Vegetables Processing Byproducts for the Preparation of Bioplastics

“…Every year, the food sector produces millions of tons of waste that could be potentially useful for preparing bioplastics. [ 19 ] Using these resources in small facilities built near food processing plants would also help reducing the problem of waste disposal. This factor is of high significance since transporting food waste to the centers for re‐processing or upcycling can be crucial in determining the sustainability of a process.…”