Two Fascinating Polysaccharides: Chitosan and Starch. Some Prominent Characterizations for Applying as Eco-Friendly Food Packaging and Pollutant Remover in Aqueous Medium. Progress in Recent Years: A Review

The call to use biodegradable, eco-friendly materials is urgent. The use of biopolymers as a replacement for the classic petroleum-based materials is increasing. Chitosan and starch have been widely studied with this purpose: to be part of this replacement. The importance of proper physical characterization of these biopolymers is essential for the intended application. This review focuses on characterizations of chitosan and starch, approximately from 2017 to date, in one of their most-used applications: food packaging for chitosan and as an adsorbent agent of pollutants in aqueous medium for starch.

Automated summary

The urgency to use biodegradable and eco-friendly materials has led to an increasing use of biopolymers as replacements for classic petroleum-based materials. Proper physical characterization of biopolymers like chitosan and starch is essential for their intended applications. This review focuses on the characterization of chitosan and starch from approximately 2017 to the present, highlighting their use in food packaging and as adsorbent agents for pollutants in aqueous medium.