Sustainable Food Packaging Materials and Technology

Food packaging, often underestimated, plays a crucial role in the supply chain and our daily lives. During storage, distribution, and marketing, packaging must contain and protect food, communicate its characteristics, and present convenience to the consumer. Various packaging materials, mainly synthetic polymers derived from petroleum, are available. However, the growing concern about pollution and the environmental impact generated by this type of material drives us to rethink our choices, and the search for solutions has become more urgent than ever. This new book, Sustainable Food Packaging Materials and Technology, addresses one of the most pressing challenges of our era: how to preserve the quality, safety, and, in some cases, freshness of food with packaging based on sustainable materials that do not compromise the environment.

Each chapter provides a technical analysis of materials and their application and presents a comprehensive overview of using available resources responsibly and creatively. Some chapters reveal the transformative potential of waste resources, from using by-products from the fishing industry to materials derived from agaves. The volume also explores the use of natural polymers such as proteins and polysaccharides in the design of packaging and coatings, highlighting their capacity to offer biodegradable solutions that can also be highly effective. Within polysaccharides, the book looks into the great potential offered by starch and cellulose, which, thanks to their versatility and properties, have become some of the most explored renewable materials in creating biodegradable packaging and coatings.

An innovative aspect of this book is its emphasis on active biodegradable packaging and coatings, which integrate antioxidant and antimicrobial properties by utilizing agro-industrial waste. This convergence of sustainability and functionality offers an effective solution to combat food waste, a global challenge requiring immediate attention. The revolutionary materials polybutylene succinate (a biodegradable biopolymer) and polyethylene furanoate (a recyclable material) have also been explored, which redefine expectations about packaging sustainability. These advances promote the circular economy and offer a roadmap to a greener future.

We hope this book serves as a guide and a rich source of inspiration in the search for more sustainable and responsible food packaging. Sustainable Food Packaging Materials and Technology will be valuable for researchers and scientists in the food packaging industry.

Juan Manuel Tirado-Gallegos, PhD, is a Research Professor at the School of Animal Sciences and Ecology at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, Mexico. Dr. Tirado-Gallegos has experience in isolating, modifying, and characterizing natural polymers and developing biodegradable packaging with application in meat products. He has published 34 scientific articles, ten book chapters, and more than 40 contributions in scientific meetings. Dr. Tirado-Gallegos has been a member of the National System of Researchers in México since 2017. He graduated as an engineer in Food Technology from Antonio Narro Agrarian Autonomous University and earned his Master of Science in Biochemical Engineering from the Technological Institute of Veracruz, Mexico. He earned his science doctorate in Food Biopolymers from the Research Center for Food and Development, A.C., Mexico.

Juan Daniel Rivaldi Chávez, PhD, is a Chemical Engineer and Researcher at the Department of Industrial Applications of the Faculty of Chemical Sciences of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay, working in bioprocess, biomaterials, and circular bioeconomy, with emphasis on the characterization and valorization of by-products and industrial residues. He has experience as a quality control and process manager in the paper and cardboard recycling industry and as a technical expert and auditor of quality control laboratories. Dr. Rivaldi was a lecturer at the University of São Paulo and National University of Asuncion. He has been categorized as a researcher level I in the National Program for Incentive to Researchers (PRONII) by the National Science and Technology Council (CONACYT) of Paraguay. Additionally, he is a member of the Paraguayan Society of Materials, Paraguayan Society of Microbiology, and Associate Programme of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. He has published 24 scientific articles in indexed journals, three book chapters, and a book. In addition, he has presented 35 papers and 24 abstracts and has been chairman and invited speaker at scientific events. Dr. Rivaldi has been visiting researcher at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST-Japan) and at the Cellulose and Paper Group of the Institute of Forest Science, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain. He graduated from the National University of Asuncion, Paraguay, and earned his master degree in Industrial Biotechnology and doctorate in Sciences in the bioprocess area at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

José Juan Buenrostro-Figueroa, PhD, is a Researcher at the Research Center for Food and Development, Chihuahua, Mexico. A professional food engineer, Dr. Buenrostro has experience in bioprocess development, including microbial processes for enzyme production and recovery of bioactive compounds, valorization of agro-industrial by-products, and extraction and characterization of bioactive compounds from plants and agro-industrial wastes. He has published 40 papers in indexed journals, 25 book chapters, six books as editor, and more than 70 contributions at scientific meetings, with over 1160 citations and h-index of 18 (Google Scholar database). He is a member of the Mexican Association of Food Science (AMECA), Mexican Society for Food Protection affiliate of the International Association for Food Protection, and Food Safety Thematic Network: Agroindustrial By-products Valorization and Reduction of Food Losses and Waste (PDA). Dr. Buenrostro is a member of SNII (National System of Researches, Mexico), since 2014. His MSc and PhD degrees were Food Science and Technology.