Chitin/Chitosan — Safe, Ecofriendly Packaging Materials with Multiple Potential Uses

Abstract

Increased and indiscriminate use of plastic packaging films, which are petroleum based, has led to ecological problems due to their total non-biodegradability. Continuous use of plastics in any form or shape has to be restricted and may even be gradually abandoned to protect and conserve ecology. Such awareness, of late by one and all, has led to a paradigm shift to look for packaging films and processes that are biodegradable and therefore, compatible with the environment. Such an approach also leads to natural resource conservation with an underpinning on a pollution-free environment. Thus, the concept of biodegradability enjoys both user-friendly and eco-friendly attributes, and the raw materials are essentially derived from either replenishable agricultural feed stocks (cellulose, starch, and proteins) or marine food processing industry wastes (chitin/chitosan). Their total biodegradation to environmentally friendly benign products (CO2, H2O/quality compost) is the turning point that needs to be capitalized upon. Polymer cross-linking and graft copolymerization of natural polymers with synthetic monomers are other alternative approaches of value to using biodegradable packaging films. Although complete replacement for synthetic plastics may be impossible to achieve and perhaps even unnecessary, at least for a few specific applications, our attention and efforts are required in the days to come. Though expensive, biopackaging meets tomorrow's need for packaging, especially for a few value added products. It offers an attractive route to waste management, as well. Nonetheless, everyone desires a clean, pollution-free environment in the future.