Recent progress in chitosan/gelatin-based film in food packaging applications: A comprehensive review

Motivated by the urgent need for sustainable substitutes to environment-damaging synthetic plastics and guided by circular economy considerations, this review critically assesses recent advances in chitosan/gelatin (CS/GL) films for food packaging. Synergistic combination of chitosan, an antimicrobial polysaccharide, and gelatin, a protein with film-forming properties, creates composites with significantly enhanced mechanical strength, barrier function (against moisture, oxygen, and UV light), and bioactive performance relative to monocomponent films. This review discusses different preparation methods, such as solution casting (thermal-assisted), electrospinning, extrusion, and enzymatic crosslinking, and discusses ways of improving antimicrobial and antioxidant activity by adding nanoparticles, essential oils, and plant extracts. It evaluates the performance of these films in maintaining the shelf life of various foods, including meat, seafood, fruits, and vegetables, by inhibiting microbial growth, preventing lipid oxidation. The critique responds to major issues hindering mass-scale uptake, including scalability in production, controlled biodegradability, and affordability. Emerging research agendas emphasize green processing routes, responsible material sourcing, and whole life cycle analysis. In general, this assessment points to the high promise of CS/GL films as realistic, high-performance, and environmentally benign packaging solutions. Unlike previous reviews, this article surveys advances in CS/GL-based films reported over the last five years and emphasizes recent developments in preparation methods, structure-property relationships, and food-packaging applications.