Recent advances and migration issues in biodegradable polymers from renewable sources for food packaging

In recent years, consumer demand for environmental sustainability and legislative actions has pushed the plastic packaging industry toward biobased plastics. However, despite the advantages related to their ecofriendly nature, the commercial large‐scale application of biobased polymers as substitutes for conventional petroleum‐derived plastic as packaging materials have been limited up to this point because they show limitations in their processability and material properties performances, especially in terms of their diffusion‐barrier properties to small molecules; these are critical for food‐contact uses. The main strategies used to overcome these issues involve blending with other biopolymers and/or the addition of other substances, such as microfillers, nanofillers, and plasticizers. In this review, we report on the most recent advances and emerging technologies in food‐packaging applications that have potential commercial interest and are based on selected biodegradable polymers from renewable sources. Our particular focus is on issues related to food–packaging interactions and the possible consequent migration of substances.