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Expanded polystyrene (EPS), an inexpensive and widely available polymer, has been extensively employed in foam packaging. However, EPS-based foams cause environmental problems because they are non-biodegradable and little recycled. Therefore, developing foams from renewable sources for application in biodegradable packaging for food and express food delivery is essential to tackle pollution issues of synthetic plastics. Starch is a renewable, abundant, and low-cost source with thermoplastic properties. For this reason, starch has been used as raw material to develop foams for packaging. This review emphasizes different strategies for improving the mechanical properties, processibility, and antimicrobial activity of starch-based foams and for decreasing their sensitivity to humidity, aiming at employing them as competitive replacement for EPS in packaging. Starch source, foaming process conditions, plasticizer concentration, fiber type and concentration, and addition of other polymers to form blends can affect the properties and morphology of biodegradable foams, so these factors should be better studied and optimized. Agroindustrial residues have become an interesting alternative to reduce the cost of foams, aiming at a competitive replacement for EPS. Few works have been developed on bioactive starch-based foams. Searching for starch-based foams with antiviral properties against SARS-Cov-2 is also necessary. • Modified starch and starch blends are alternatives to improve starch-based foam properties. • Biofoam properties depend on starch type, foaming process conditions, and additive concentration. • Addition of agroindustrial residues can improve the water resistance and mechanical properties of starch-based foams. • Use of agroindustrial residues is a cheap alternative to lower the cost of bio-based foams. • Foam with antibacterial/antiviral properties should be developed to be applied as food packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecuatorian agroindustrial represents an important sector of participation for the economy. Its operation generates waste that, given its composition and processing possibility, becomes a material of interest to be used as a raw material in the production of bioplastics. The availability of the residue depends on the volume generated, which is why the amount produced by the agroindustrial country was estimated, using a pre-established methodology that starts from the annual average of crops, the portion of production allocated to industrial processing, the rate of generation of waste and other competitive uses. It was estimated that annually the agroindustrial generates about 2200 million kilograms, which are mostly composed of starch or lignocellulosic resources, which with physical, chemical or biotechnological transformations, can be used as raw material, filler material or precursor of bioplastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]