Nanocellulose-Based Composites and Bioactive Agents for Food Packaging

Abstract

Global environmental concern, regarding the use of petroleum-based packaging materials, is encouraging researchers and industries in the search for packaging materials from natural biopolymers. Bioactive packaging is gaining more and more interest not only due to its environment friendly nature but also due to its potential to improve food quality and safety during packaging. Some of the shortcomings of biopolymers, such as weak mechanical and barrier properties can be significantly enhanced by the use of nanomaterials such as nanocellulose (NC). The use of NC can extend the food shelf life and can also improve the food quality as they can serve as carriers of some active substances, such as antioxidants and antimicrobials. The NC fiber-based composites have great potential in the preparation of cheap, lightweight, and very strong nanocomposites for food packaging. This review highlights the potential use and application of NC fiber-based nanocomposites and also the incorporation of bioactive agents in food packaging.

Keywords:

• Packaging materials
• nanocellulose
• biodegradable films
• nanocomposites
• bioactive polymers
• biopolymers
• essential oils

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and FP Innovation (Pointe-Claire, Canada) for their research support and funding.