Films based on biopolymer from conventional and non-conventional sources

Abstract

Edible films are thin materials based on biopolymers. These films are also biodegradable and because of that, these materials have attracted the attention of the food science academic community in the last decades. The main biopolymers used in the edible films production are polysaccharides (Nisperos-Carriedo, 1994) and proteins (Gennadios et al., 1996). The polysaccharide most used in edible film technology is starch, because it is produced abundantly and is inexpensive. But other polysaccharides, such as chitosan and some cellulose derivates, have been also studied. Normally, proteins produced industrially, such as soja and gelatin from mammals, are largely applied in film production. However, some proteins from less conventional sources, such as muscle proteins, gelatin from fish, and feather keratins, have also been studied in the last several years. Thus, this work will present and discuss some aspects of edible and/or biodegradable film technology based on biopolymers from conventional or less conventional resources.