Technological watch

Renovation of Agro-Waste for Sustainable Food Packaging: A Review

Waste management in the agricultural sector has become a major concern. Increased food production to satisfy the surge in population has resulted in the generation of large volumes of solid waste. Agro-waste is a rich source of biocompounds with high potential as a raw material for food packaging. Utilization of agro-waste supports the goal of sustainable development in a circular economy. This paper reviews recent trends and the development of agro-wastes from plant and animal sources into eco-friendly food packaging systems. Different plant and animal sources and their potential development into packaging are discussed, including crop residues, process residues, vegetable and fruit wastes, and animal-derived wastes. A comprehensive analysis of the properties and production methods of these packages is presented. Future aspects of agro-waste packaging systems and the inherent production problems are addressed.

Publication date: 27/01/2023

Author: Sandhya Alice Varghese

Reference: doi: 10.3390/polym15030648

MDPI (polymers)



      

This project has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 837761.