Natural Gum-Based Functional Bioactive Films and Coatings: A Review

Edible films and coatings are a current and future food packaging trend. In the food and envi-ronmental sectors, there is a growing need to understand the role of edible packaging and sus-tainability. Gums are polysaccharides of natural origin that are frequently utilized as thickeners, clarifying agents, gelling agents, emulsifiers, and stabilizers in the food sector. Gums come in a variety of forms, including seed gums, mucilage gums, exudate gums, and so on. As a biodegradable and sustainable alternative to petrochemical-based film and coatings, gums could be a promising option. Natural plant gum-based edible packaging helps to ensure extension of shelf-life of fresh and processed foods while also reducing microbiological alteration and/or oxidation processes. In this review, the possible applications of gum-based polymers and their functional properties in development of edible films and coatings, were comprehensively dis-cussed. In the future, technology for developing natural gum-based edible films and coatings might be applied commercially to improve shelf life and preserve the quality of foods.