Advances of Chitosan-based Active Films in Food Packaging

Abstract

With the increased awareness of environmental and improvement of food safety, biobased biodegradable films become a new trend in food packaging. Chitosan is a natural biodegradable polysaccharide, derived from chitin. It is used for preparing biodegradable films with great film-forming property, antibacterial activity, biodegradable and nontoxic. Microbial growth and lipid oxidation and other factors can lead to food spoilage. There has a potential to develop active films to improve food safety and shelf life. This review is to summarize the development and function of chitosan-based active films in food packaging.