The growing demand for sustainable materials as alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics has accelerated research on alginate-based films. Alginate is a naturally occurring polysaccharide, mainly extracted from brown algae and widely used in the bioindustry due to its biodegradability, film-forming ability, biocompatibility, and functional versatility. However, a comprehensive understanding of global research trends and emerging directions in this field remains limited. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of global research on alginate-based films from 2001 to December 2024, aiming to identify key trends, collaboration patterns, thematic structures, and future directions. The dataset was retrieved from Scopus and analyzed using VOSviewer (v.1.6.20). A significant increase in publications has been observed over the past five years. The International Journal of Biological Macromolecules was identified as the leading journal. “Agricultural and Biological Sciences” dominated the field. China was the most productive country, while Jhong-Whan Rhim was the most prolific author. Jiangnan University was the most active institution. Keyword analysis revealed three themes: mechanical enhancement, food packaging, and biomedical applications. Recent trends indicate a growing focus on sustainable food packaging development.
Ayyubi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.