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The wide application of beneficial microorganisms in agriculture as inoculants to combat pests and diseases and/or to improve soil fertility and the nutrients availability for plants has been considered as an effective and more sustainable alternative than chemical fertilizers and agricultural defensives. However, it is necessary to examine all processing steps of these bio-based products under a more integrated view including the type of microorganisms and the whole production process in order to reduce dependence on synthetic chemical inputs. Here, recent developments on the production and formulation technologies of microbial inoculants and the main types of inoculants currently applied in agriculture are addressed. The different types of microbial formulations are compared with emphasis on the encapsulation technology. Moreover, the application of biofertilizers in seed coating and a new approach to apply biocomposites as fertilizers are discussed, presenting the main challenges and future perspectives to promote more sustainable agriculture practices.

Nanocomposite materials have been incorporated into biopolymers, (e.g. hydroxypropyl methylcellulose), to improve their physical and chemical properties and enable them to be applied in food packaging, especially for their biodegradable and renewable properties. With this addition, fruit puree has been incorporated into the films to confer nutritional properties besides color and flavor. Chitosan is of interest in the packaging field since it is a biodegradable, bioabsorbable, antimicrobial agent. Furthermore, chitosan nanoparticles have been widely explored for their interesting properties and potential applications in food packaging. This work was divided into two stages: (1) chitosan nanoparticle synthesis; (2) addition of nanoparticles into HPMC and papaya puree films. Addition of chitosan nanoparticles to HPMC and papaya puree films improved film properties: mechanical, thermal and water vapor barrier. We have developed a novel nanomaterial with great potential for application in packaging to prolong the shelf life of food.

In this paper, the effects of acrylamide (AAm), methylcellulose (MC) contents, pH and ionic strength on kinetic, network and hydrophilic properties of polyacrylamide and methylcellulose hydrogels were investigated. The hydrogels were characterized by evaluating of network [average molecular weight between crosslinks (M C), crosslink density (q) and the number of elastically effective chains (Ve)], and kinetic parameters [diffusional exponent (n), diffusion constant (k) and diffusion coefficient (D)]. Such properties were controlled by adjusting of the AAm, MC contents, pH and ionic strength factors. Due to high hydrophilicity and fast water-uptake, the PAAm-MC hydrogels can be considered as materials for potential applications in agricultural fields, mainly in controlled release of water or pesticides.

The food nutritional content is reduced as result of vitamins degradation. In order to minimize such losses, the encapsulation technique into polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) could offer an additional protection, extending the stability. The crosslinking formed by the ionic gelation process of chitosan and tripolyphosphate (Chi-TPP) has been widely used as an encapsulating matrix for several chemical compounds. In this way, Chi-TPP was used for encapsulation of C, B9 and B12 vitamins. The stability of the vitamins in NPs was evaluated in aqueous suspension by UV-Visible spectroscopy under different conditions: stored in dark, light exposure and effect of oxygen bubbling. The results indicated that encapsulation had a positive effect in preserving the vitamins, mainly vitamin C. The encapsulation preserved 47% of the initial concentration of vitamin C by the tenth day and around 28% after 17 days. Conversely, in non-encapsulated controls (neutral and acidic medium) the losses were higher, reaching 13% by the tenth day and almost 3% after 17 days of storage in both medium. When exposed to light and O2 the protection provided by the encapsulation was even greater. By thermogravimetric analysis, the pure and the encapsulated vitamins showed distinct thermal behavior confirming Chi-TPP as a potential encapsulation material.