Thermo-mechanical, rheological, microstructural, and barrier properties of gum-based edible packaging: A review

Single-use plastics are a major threat to the environment and human health. Prioritizing sustainable and naturederived biodegradable materials to develop edible films and coatings for food products is the current focus in packaging applications. Among such biodegradable polymers, gums obtained from plant seeds (e.g., guar and tara), plant exudates (e.g., Arabic and karaya), tubers (e.g., konjac and salep), or modern biotechnological approaches (e.g., xanthan and gellan) are important ones, and they have been the subject of recent interest in developing edible films and coatings. Because of the highly branched nature of the polymer network and their affinity for water molecules, the gum-based films have low mechanical strength and poor resistance to water vapor permeability. With a goal to improve the thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties of gum-based films, this review discusses the approaches to property improvement currently used, including plasticization, blending, and the addition of active compounds and nanoparticles.

Automated summary

Single-use plastics pose a significant threat to the environment and human health. The focus is currently on developing edible films and coatings for food packaging using sustainable and biodegradable materials derived from plants. Gum-based polymers obtained from plant seeds, exudates, tubers, or through biotechnological methods have gained interest in this regard. However, these films have limitations such as low mechanical strength and poor resistance to water vapor permeability. Various approaches including plasticization, blending, and the addition of active compounds and nanoparticles are being explored to overcome these limitations and improve the properties of gum-based films.