Carbohydrate-based Advanced Biomaterials for Food Sustainability: a Review

Abstract

The quality and safety of processed food strongly depend on their packaging and the protection that it provides. The increasing accumulation of synthetic non-biodegradable plastics in the environment represents a threat to the natural habitats. This has lead companies and researchers to explore different ways to develop bio-based polymers made from a variety of agricultural commodities and/or food waste products. Recently, plant-based polysaccharides such as hemicelluloses and celluloses have attracted attention as replacements for petroleum-based materials. In this context, the cell wall composition determines the quality of most plant-based products used in modern human societies. Nutritional and processing properties of plant-based foods are heavily influenced by wall properties. Fibres for textiles, paper manufacture, timber products and now, for fuel and bio-composites manufacture, are largely composed of, or derived from, walls. As the largest source of renewable carbon, plant cell walls have a critical future role in providing transport fuels, food security, functional foods to improve human health, and as raw materials for industrial processes. The use of cellulose materials as polysaccharides source offers the possibility of obtaining new advanced biomaterials for fresh or processed foods sustainability. In this review, the cell wall metabolism, extraction and hydrolyzation of polysaccharides in different microorganisms and plants, and their application for the development of new carbohydrate-based advanced biomaterials that can be applied for the food industry are reported.