Recent Advances in Chemically Modified Cellulose and Its Derivatives for Food Packaging Applications: A Review

Abstract

The application of cellulose in the food packaging field has gained increasing attention in recent years, driven by the desire for sustainable products. Cellulose can replace petroleum-based plastics because it can be converted to biodegradable and nontoxic polymers from sustainable natural resources. These products have increasingly been used as coatings, self-standing films, and paperboards in food packaging, owing to their promising mechanical and barrier properties. However, their utilization is limited because of the high hydrophilicity of cellulose. With the presence of a large quantity of functionalities within pristine cellulose and its derivatives, these building blocks provide a unique platform for chemical modification via covalent functionalization to introduce stable and permanent functionalities to cellulose. A primary aim of chemical attachment is to reduce the probability of component leaching in wet and softened conditions and to improve the aqueous, oil, water vapor, and oxygen barriers, thereby extending its specific use in the food packaging field. However, chemical modification may affect the desirable mechanical, thermal stabilities and biodegradability exhibited by pristine cellulose. This review exhaustively reports the research progress on cellulose chemical modification techniques and prospective applications of chemically modified cellulose for use in food packaging, including active packaging.

Sustainable Coating Paperboard Packaging Material Based on Chitosan, Palmitic Acid, and Activated Carbon: Water Vapor and Fat Barrier Performance

“…The highest C PA (1.8% w / w ) promoted a negative and significant effect in the Abs, reducing to 5 g·m −2 , which is associated with the hydrophobic character of palmitic acid. The cellulose surface modification improves the hydrophobic performance of paper properties for packaging applications, being able to extend the application of cellulosic packaging even in humid conditions or in contact with food products with a high water activity [ 51 , 52 ]. The palmitic acid in the coating formulation can enhance the water resistance of the cellulose network of the paperboard.…”

Replacing all petroleum-based chemical products with natural biomass-based chemical products: a tutorial review

“…8). 55 Wang et al prepared a cellulose-based bioplastic by hot pressing a cellulose hydrogel. The cellulose hydrogel was prepared from cellulose solution in an alkali hydroxide/urea aqueous system by physical cross-linking.…”

Active Flexible Films for Food Packaging: A Review

“…This is a consequence of their low price, low weight, extensive availability, printability and good mechanical properties [12,15]. However, and since there are several reviews focused on these materials [16][17][18][19], they will not be included in the present one.…”