Oilseed Processing By-Products for Biodegradable Food Packaging: Chemical Complementarity and Interfacial Organization

Biodegradable food-packaging materials can be developed from multiple agricultural and food-processing co-products, including by-products generated during oilseed processing. These oilseed-derived side streams contain proteins, polysaccharides, fibers, residual lipids, free fatty acids, phospholipids, sterols, tocopherols, and phenolic compounds, which may provide complementary functions within multicomponent packaging systems. This review critically examines oil cakes and meals as sources of structural components, residual oils and fractions recovered from soapstock as hydrophobic phases, and lecithin and other phospholipid-rich fractions as regulators of interfacial organization. Particular attention is given to the relationships between chemical composition, phase organization, material microstructure, and the resulting mechanical, barrier, and active properties. The review also discusses processing effects, oxidative stability, migration, food-contact safety, and functional validation in lipid-rich foods. The distinctive contribution is an evidence-informed, function-oriented synthesis that links the chemical identity of recovered fractions to interfacial organization, material performance, and verified food protection rather than treating side streams as interchangeable feedstocks. Further progress in this field will require improved compositional standardization, control of interfacial organization, validation under realistic processing and storage conditions, and direct demonstration of food protection.