Chitosan Composites in Packaging Industry—Current Trends and Future Challenges
Victor Gomes Lauriano Souza, João Ricardo Afonso Pires, Carolina Rodrigues, Isabel M. Coelhoso, Ana Luísa Almaça da Cruz Fernando
Abstract
Chitosan-based composites play an important role in food packaging applications and can be used either as films or as edible coatings. Due to their high costs and lower performance (i.e., lower barrier against water vapor, thermal, and mechanical properties) when compared to the traditional petroleum-based plastics, the use of such biopolymers in large-scale is still limited. Several approaches of chitosan composites in the packaging industry are emerging to overcome some of the disadvantages of pristine polymers. Thus, this work intends to present the current trends and the future challenges towards production and application of chitosan composites in the food packaging industry.