On the use of tris(nonylphenyl) phosphite as a chain extender in melt-blended poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate)/ clay nanocomposites: Morphology, thermal stability, and mechanical properties J. González-Ausejo, E. Sánchez-Safont, J. Gámez-Pérez and L. Cabedo, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, DOI: 10.1002 Characterization of polyhydroxyalkanoate blends incorporating unpurified biosustainably produced poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) A. Martínez-Abad, L. Cabedo, C. S. S. Oliveira, L. Hilliou, M. Reis and J. M. Lagarón, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, DOI: 10.1002 Modification of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) properties by reactive blending with a monoterpene derivative L. Pilon and C. Kelly, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, DOI: 10.1002 Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) films for food packaging: Physical-chemical ABSTRACT: Plant polysaccharides comprise the main renewable resource available in the biosphere for biomaterial production. However, the recalcitrant and heterogeneous structure of lignocellulosic biomass hinders the effective fractionation and exploitation of the polysaccharide components for the design of carbohydrate-based materials. Carbohydrate-active enzymes constitute a selective and versatile biotechnological tool that can assist during the biomass pretreatment steps to extract and fractionate the polysaccharide macromolecular components. Moreover, this enzymatic toolbox can be as well exploited for the tailored modification of the molecular structure of relatively pure polysaccharide components to achieve customized macroscopic properties. This review critically discusses the potential and challenges of the use of plant lignocellulosic polysaccharides and enzymatic modifications to design and prepare suitable materials for packaging applications in terms of their structure-property relations. Structural factors such as the molar mass and crystallinity of the polysaccharide fractions and functional factors such as water sensitivity and processability of the derived films are critical for the material performance. The global net primary production of carbon in the biosphere is estimated around 10 11 tonnes per year, 1 from which polysaccharides account for approximately 75% of all biomass. In this context, plant biomass represents the main renewable resource for biofuel and materials production, as a future replacement of fossil-based energy and goods. New schemes for the sustainable exploitation of biomass have emerged in the last decades (the "biorefinery" concept), which integrate chemical, mechanical, thermal, and biotechnological conversion processes for the generation of energy, platform chemicals, and bio-based polymeric materials. Different generations of biorefineries have been implemented, depending on the biomass source (e.g., agriculturederived crops and food waste, lignocellulosic biomass, marine feedstock, designer crops) and on the diversity of products that are converted (e.g., bioethanol after fermentation, syngas after thermochemical conversion, fin...