Recent Advances in Gluten-Based Active and Intelligent Food Packaging: A Review.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Materials Science
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Synthetic plastics pose environmental and health risks due to poor recycling and disposal.
• Biopolymer-based plastics with active and intelligent functions are gaining traction in food science.
• Gluten, a protein biopolymer, presents a promising sustainable alternative for food packaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the advancements in gluten for active and intelligent food packaging applications.
• To explore the potential of gluten-based materials in improving food safety and reducing packaging waste.
• To discuss the fabrication, properties, challenges, and future scope of gluten-based smart packaging.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on gluten's chemistry, properties, and sources.
• Analysis of fabrication methods for gluten-based active and intelligent packaging systems.
• Discussion of gluten-based films and coatings for food preservation and monitoring.

Main Results:

• Gluten can be utilized to create functional smart food packaging.
• Active and intelligent packaging films/coatings can be developed by incorporating active ingredients with gluten.
• Gluten-based materials effectively extend shelf-life and enable real-time spoilage monitoring.

Conclusions:

• Gluten shows significant potential as a sustainable biopolymer for active and intelligent food packaging.
• Gluten-based packaging offers a viable solution for enhancing food safety and reducing environmental impact.
• Further research into gluten-based smart packaging is warranted to overcome current challenges and explore future applications.