From waste/residual marine biomass to active biopolymer-based packaging film materials for food industry applications - a review

Waste/residual marine biomass represents a vast and potentially underexplored source of biopolymers chitin/-chitosan and alginate. Their isolation and potential application in the development and production of bio-based food packaging are gaining in attractiveness due to a recent increment in plastic pollution awareness. Accordingly, a review of the latest research work was given to cover the pathway from biomass sources to biopolymers isolation and application in the development of active (antimicrobial/antioxidant) film materials intended for food packaging. Screening of the novel eco-friendly isolation processes was followed by an extensive overview of the most recent publications covering the chitosan- and alginate-based films with incorporated active agents.