Thermal Properties of Biopolymer Films: Insights for Sustainable Food Packaging Applications

Poor thermal stability of packaging materials represents a significant obstacle impeding their applications as alternatives to non-biodegradable plastics in the food packaging sector. The thermal stability of biopolymeric films is essential for upholding their structural integrity and preventing degradation at different temperatures during processing, transportation, and storage, thereby safeguarding the quality and safety of packaged food items. A deeper understanding of the interplay between material composition, processing conditions, and thermal behavior will foster the development of stable edible films capable of withstanding elevated temperatures while maintaining their structural integrity and functional attributes. This review provides an overview of various thermal analysis techniques available for analyzing biodegradable edible films (viz. Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Thermogravimetric Analysis, Dynamic Mechanical Analysis, and Thermomechanical Analysis), as well as explores the interrelation between film properties and thermal stability such as film crystallinity, morphological attributes, chemical arrangement, nano-reinforcements and interaction with other ingredients. Furthermore, the thermal behaviour of biopolymers and the recent advancements aimed at engineering desirable thermal behaviour into edible films are extensively discussed. The present study contributes to the current knowledge base and serves as a valuable resource for researchers in the field of food packaging and material science.