20 research outputs found

    Development of polyion-complex hydrogels as an alternative approach for the production of bio-based polymers for food packaging applications : a review

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    Development of packaging materials from renewable resources has for a long time been desirable for sustainability reasons, but with recent explosion in prices of petroleum products, this now becomes also more economically viable. This paper shows how fundamental chemistry underlying three forms of hydrogels\u2014physical hydrogels, chemical hydrogels, and interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN)\u2014can be integrated to produce a new family of food packaging materials from biopolymers, illustrated here using gelatin and low-methoxyl pectin as examples. Application of this technique to create hydrogels from bio-based materials offers the potential for developing novel, biodegradable packaging applications, particularly for foods, that meet the ever-increasing demands for natural and environmentally compatible material
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