Biodegradable thermoplastic films suitable for use in food packaging were produced. These films were mainly based on thermoplastic starch. The major task included research into thermal conversion of starch in a compression molding process and also under high shear conditions in an extruder in the presence of suitable plasticizers. The destruction of crystalline structure resulted in amorphous structure with thermoplastic properties. Films were rather transparent but slightly brown in color and had a specific smell. The films showed sufficient plasticity and acceptable tensile strength and elongation. The effect of plasticizer content on the final properties of the film was investigated. The biodegradability was also tested in a compost environment and extent of degradation of the films was evaluated during a reasonable period of time. A pre-treatment process accelerated the degradation of the films. To improve processing properties of starch, degradable films based on polyethylene and thermoplastic starch blends were prepared and characterized. The mechanical properties of these blends were studied in a period of time in order to evaluate the degradability in a reasonable time span. It was found that heat-treated films were reasonably degradable. Heat-treated films showed more accelerated degradation compared to untreated films, The loss in mechanical properties in starch/polyethylene blends during the aging process rendered thermoplastic biodegradable films.

The destructive environmental effects caused by the accumulation of plastic and non-degradable materials are one of the most important concerns in the world today. A significant amount of this waste is related to polymers used in food packaging. Therefore, in recent years, experts and practitioners of the food industry have sought to find suitable biodegradable alternatives for synthetic polymers. The purpose of this article is to review composite biodegradable plastics in food and applied studies in this field.

Ordinary plastics have been produced and used for many years for packaging applications in various sectors. With the growth of the food industry, the demand for food packaging has also grown. However, the plastics made from petroleum are non-degradable, which has created severe bio environmental problems for the environment. Biodegradable polymers are an alternative approach to many industrial applications including food packaging, as well as risk control for non-biodegradable plastics. According to the type of the raw material, they are classified in one of the following categories: polymers extracted from biomass compounds, polymers synthesized from monomers and polymers produced from microorganisms. The quality of biopolymers depends on their physical, mechanical and thermal properties. The present study is an overview of the properties of different biopolymers and their compounds, comparing the properties of biodegradable polymers and biopolymers. The recent research works and innovative methods for the use of these plastics for food packaging and biomass plastic poisoning have also been studied and presented, concluding that biodegradable polymers help reduce the environmental impacts of plastics. It is worth mentioning that as the plastics from agricultural waste are used as raw materials for making this kind of packaging, there is a great opportunity to increase added value.

Biodegradable polymers are a suitable alternative for replacing traditional food packaging with environmental concerns. Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) is a synthetic biodegradable polymer with high flexibility and a high potential for functionalization, aiming at bactericidal, antimicrobial, or antifungal properties. In this work, the casting method was used to prepare PBAT films containing Moringa oleifera (MO) seed powder. The MO was added in different contents of 0, 1, 3, 5, and 10% (wt) to functionalize the film properties and its efficiency as strawberry packaging. The PBAT films containing 1% (wt) of MO were the most suitable for packaging applications, considering the mechanical properties and thermal properties. MO did not present significant interactions with the PBAT matrix and reduced the PBAT crystallinity, leading to a decrease in gas and water vapor permeabilities. The PBAT-1% MO films showed good performance as biodegradable packaging for strawberry storage, prolonging their storage time and reducing their vulnerability to fungal attack. Besides, the MO decreased the fungal contamination of strawberries when compared to those stored in neat PBAT. The developed films performance suggests that the PBAT/MO films have good potential to be used as active food packaging.