Facile preparation of amidated lignin as a biobased food packaging additive with life cycle assessment

Concerns over food safety and the overuse of plastics have driven increasing demand for packaging materials derived from sustainable sources. However, conventional biomass-based food packaging materials often exhibit inferior performance compared to conventional petroleum-based counterparts, leading to a growing interest in high-performance additives for biomass packaging. Here, we report an efficient and facile method to prepare amidated lignin for biobased additives in packaging. Characterization results confirm the successful introduction of amide groups into lignin backbone. The amidated lignin exhibits clear antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and enhanced antioxidant properties. Additionally, films incorporating amidated lignin show improved UV-blocking performance. These advantages highlight the potential of amidated lignin as a promising additive for biomass-based food packaging materials.