Bio-Based Packaging

Material, Environmental and Economic Aspects

Salit Mohd Sapuan, Rushdan Ahmad Ilyas, Salit Mohd Sapuan, Rushdan Ahmad Ilyas, Christian V. Stevens

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781119381075
• eBook ISBN: 9781119381051
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Sciences physiques
• Subtopic: Chimie

Bio-Based Packaging

Bio-Based Packaging

An authoritative and up-to-date review of sustainable packaging development and applications

Bio-Based Packaging explores using renewable and biodegradable materials as sustainable alternatives to non-renewable, petroleum-based packaging. This comprehensive volume surveys the properties of biopolymers, the environmental and economic impact of bio-based packaging, and new and emerging technologies that are increasing the number of potential applications of green materials in the packaging industry. Contributions address the advantages and challenges of bio-based packaging, discuss new materials to be used for food packaging, and highlight cutting-edge research on polymers such as starch, protein, polylactic acid (PLA), pectin, nanocellulose, and their nanocomposites.

In-depth yet accessible chapters provide balanced coverage of a broad range of practical topics, including life cycle assessment (LCA) of bio-based packaging products, consumer perceptions and preferences, supply chains, business strategies and markets in biodegradable food packaging, manufacturing of bio-based packaging materials, and regulations for food packaging materials. Detailed discussions provide valuable insight into the opportunities for biopolymers in end-use sectors, the barriers to biopolymer-based concepts in the packaging market, recent advances made in the field of biopolymeric composite materials, the future of bio-plastics in commercial food packaging, and more. This book:

• Provides deep coverage of the bio-based packaging development, characterization, regulations and environmental and socio-economic impact
• Contains real-world case studies of bio-based packaging applications
• Includes an overview of recent advances and emerging aspects of nanotechnology for development of sustainable composites for packaging
• Discusses renewable sources for packaging material and the reuse and recycling of bio-based packaging products

Bio-Based Packaging is essential reading for academics, researchers, and industry professionals working in packaging materials, renewable resources, sustainability, polymerization technology, food technology, material engineering, and related fields.

For more information on the Wiley Series in Renewable Resources, visit www.wiley.com/go/rrs

1
Starch‐Based Packaging Materials

Ying Chen¹, Kai Lu¹, Hongsheng Liu^1,2, and Long Yu^1,2

¹School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Wushan, Guangzhou, 510640, China

²Sino‐Singapore International Joint Research Institute, Guangzhou Knowledge City, Guangzhou, 510663, China

1.1 Introduction

Packaging has played an important role in world pollution in recent decades as multimillions tons of packaging waste have resulted in environmental issues [1, 2]. Due to the environmental challenges many researchers have formulated biodegradable and ecofriendly composite materials to replace conventional packaging materials [3]. In fact, more and more countries have recently passed regulations or laws to ban the application of disposable plastic packages, which enhanced the work in this area. The high cost of producing bioplastics has hindered its further development, so alternative low‐cost and renewable substrates have been proposed using agricultural waste [4]. Starch‐based materials are the promised alternative to synthetic ones in food packaging and handling in many aspects [5].

Starch films have been widely used in food and medicine packaging [6–10], in which the film should be edible in many cases, such as applications in candy wrappers and medicine capsules, etc. [11, 12]. Such films maintain the shelf life of foods for distant marketing, either by acting as a barrier for gases and volatile compounds or by controlling water permeability [13–15]. Improvement of mechanical properties and reducing moisture sensitivity are two ongoing challenges for starch‐based materials. To achieve these two goals, various blending and compositing techniques have been developed, such as blending with other polymers or reinforcing with particle or fiber‐fillers [16–19]. However, incorporation of any additive is sensitive when developing food contactable or edible packaging films, due to safety issues.

On the other hand, the unique microstructures of different starches and their multiphase transitions during thermal processing can be used as an outstanding model system to illustrate our conceptual approach to understanding the structure–processing–property relationships in polymers [20–27].

This chapter introduces the development of starch‐based materials, in particular their application in packaging, including both fundamental and application researches. It starts from fundamental issues of starch microstructures and phase transition to application techniques of extrusion processing, and then moves to show how to solve the well‐recognized weaknesses of starch‐based materials.

1.2 Macrostructures and Phase Transitions of Starch

1.2.1 Microstructures of Starch Granules

Synthetic polymers have been developed to the point where microstructures can be designed and molecular weight and molecular weight distribution can be controlled. However, the mesoscopic structure within a starch granule has evolved to suit a plant's own needs and is therefore much more complex. Starch is a polysaccharide produced by mostly higher‐order plants as a means of storing energy. It is stored intracellularly in the form of spherical granules 2–100 μm in diameter. Most commercially available starches are isolated from grains such as corn, rice, and wheat or from tubers such as potato and cassava (tapioca).

Chemically, starch is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of anhydroglucose units linked together primarily through α‐d‐(1 → 4) glucosidic bonds [22, 26–38]. Although the detailed microstructures of different starches are still being clarified, it has generally been established that starch is a heterogeneous material containing two types of microstructures – linear (amylose) and branched (amylopectin). Amylose is essentially a linear structure of α‐1,4 linked glucose units, while amylopectin is a highly branched structure of short α‐1,4 chains linked by α‐1,6 bonds. Figure 1.1 shows the chemical structure and a schematic representation of amylose and amylopectin starches. The linear structure of amylose makes its behavior more closely resemble that of conventional synthetic polymers. Depending on its source and the processing conditions employed during its extraction, the molecular weight of amylose is about ×106, which is 10 times higher than conventional synthetic polymers. Amylopectin, on the other hand, is a branched polymer and its molecular weight is much greater than amylose, with light‐scattering measurements indicating a molecular weight in the millions. The high molecular weight and branched structure of amylopectin reduce the mobility of the polymer chains and interfere with any tendency for them to become oriented closely enough to permit significant levels of hydrogen bonding. Between the linear amylose and short‐branched amylopectin, a long‐branched structure has been detected, such as that found in tapioca starch.

Physically, most native starches are semi‐crystalline, having a crystallinity of about 20–45% [22, 39–41]. Amylose and the branching points of amylopectin form amorphous regions. The short‐branched chains in the amylopectin are the main crystalline components in granular starch. Crystalline regions are present in the form of double helices with a length of ∼5 nm. The amylopectin segments in the crystalline regions are all parallel to the axis of the large helix. The molecular weight of amylopectin is about 100 times higher than that of amylose. The ratio of amylose to amylopectin depends upon the source and age of the starch and it can also be controlled by the extraction process employed. Starch granules also contain small amounts of lipids and proteins.

Figure 1.1 Chemical structures and physical schematic representation of (a) amylose starch and (b) amylopectin starch.

Figure 1.2 shows the chemical structures and physical schematic representation of (a) amylose starch and (b) amylopectin starch.

1.2.2 Phase Transition During Thermal Processing

The thermal processing of starch‐based polymers involves multiple chemical and physical reactions, e.g. water diffusion, granule expansion, gelatinization, decomposition, melti...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Title Page
• Copyright
• List of Contributors
• Series Preface
• Preface
• 1 Starch‐Based Packaging Materials
• 2 Protein‐Based Materials for Packaging Applications
• 3 Protein‐Based Biodegradable Polymer: From Sources to Innovative Sustainable Materials for Packaging Applications
• 4 Chitin/Chitosan Based Films for Packaging Applications
• 5 Perspectives for Chitin/Chitosan Based Films as Active Packaging Systems on a Food Product
• 6 Pectin‐Based Bionanocomposite Coating for Food Packaging Applications
• 7 Nanocomposite: Potential Nanofiller for Food Packaging Applications
• 8 Nanocellulose Reinforced Polypropylene and Polyethylene Composite for Packaging Application
• 9 Green Food Packaging from Nanocellulose‐Based Composite Materials
• 10 Nanocellulose Polylactide‐Based Composite Films for Packaging Applications
• 11 Nanocellulose Composite Films for Packaging Applications
• 12 Utilization of Rice Straw as a Raw Material for Food Packaging
• 13 Sustainable Paper‐Based Packaging
• 14 Properties and Food Packaging Application of Poly‐(Lactic) Acid
• 15 Poly(Lactic) Acid Modified Films for Packaging Applications
• 16 Polyhydroxyalkanoates for Packaging Application
• 17 Manufacturing of Biobased Packaging Materials
• 18 Bioplastics: An Introduction to the Role of Eco‐Friendly Alternative Plastics in Sustainable Packaging
• 19 Bioplastics: The Future of Sustainable Biodegradable Food Packaging
• 20 Renewable Sources for Packaging Materials
• 21 Environmental Advantages and Challenges of Bio‐Based Packaging Materials
• 22 Life Cycle Assessment of Bio‐Based Packaging Products
• 23 Reuse and Recycle of Biobased Packaging Products
• 24 Socioeconomic Impact of Bio‐Based Packaging Bags
• 25 The Assessment of Supply Chains, Business Strategies, and Markets in Biodegradable Food Packaging
• 26 The Market for Bio‐Based Packaging: Consumers' Perceptions and Preferences Regarding Bio‐Based Packaging
• 27 Regulations for Food Packaging Materials
• Index
• End User License Agreement