Enhancing biodegradable smart food packaging: Fungal-synthesized nanoparticles for stabilizing biopolymers

The increasing global concern over environmental plastic waste has propelled the progress of biodegradable supplies for food packaging. Biopolymer-based packaging is undergoing modifications to enhance its mechanical properties, aligning with the requirements of smart food packaging. Polymer nanocomposites, incorporating reinforcements such as fibers, platelets, and nanoparticles, demonstrate significantly improved mechanical, thermal, optical, and physicochemical characteristics. Fungi, in particular, have garnered significant interest for producing metallic nanoparticles, offering advantages such as easy scaling up, streamlined downstream handling, economic feasibility, and a large surface area. This review provides an overview of nano-additives utilized in biopackaging, followed by an exploration of the recent advancements in using microbial-resistant metal nanoparticles for food packaging. The mycofabrication process, involving fungi in the extracellular or intracellular synthesis of metal nanoparticles, is introduced. Fungal functionalized nanostructures represent a promising avenue for application across various stages of food processing, packaging, and safety. The integration of fungal-derived nanostructures into food packaging materials presents a sustainable and effective approach to combatting microbial contamination." By harnessing fungal biomass, this research contributes to the development of economical and environmentally friendly methods for enhancing food packaging functionality. The findings underscore the promising role of fungal-based nanotechnologies in advancing the field of active food packaging, addressing both safety and sustainability concerns. The study concludes with an investigation into potential fungal isolates for nanoparticle biosynthesis, highlighting their relevance and potential in advancing sustainable and efficient packaging solutions.