Physicochemical and Biological Properties of Chitosan Based Edible Films.

Bioactive edible packaging films have attracted the attention of many researchers in the recent past due to the concerns over the heavy use of petroleum-based synthetic packaging materials for food. Among various other materials such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats, chitosan stands out to be the most suitable polysaccharide for this purpose mainly due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, its poor barrier and mechanical properties are limiting factors for its application as a food packaging material. Several studies have been conducted to improve the poor characteristics of chitosan film to the industrial standard by adopting various strategies. This paper provides an overview of modification made to the film preparation techniques of pure chitosan films and the incorporation of other natural substances to chitosan to make composite films with the focus on their role on the improvement of physicochemical and biological properties of the chitosan-composite edible films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]