Polymer blends of poly(lactic acid) and starch for the production of films applied in food packaging: A brief review

Abstract

The limited degradation of synthetic polymers used in food packaging when discarded in the environment is a major concern for society. Therefore, industry and academia have sought to develop biodegradable and eco-friendly materials for single-use in packaging. An interesting alternative for the food industry is biodegradable polymeric films, which is why different biopolymers have been used in the production of sustainable packaging. It is worth mentioning that the use of biodegradable polymers is one of the most successful innovations in the industry to address issues related to the environment. Among the available raw materials, starch extracted from different renewable sources is very promising for this purpose, due to its abundance, low-cost compared to other polymers and ability to produce non-toxic films. However, when used alone, pure starch has many limitations, which can be overcome by developing a mixture with other polymers (polymer blends), preferably from renewable and biodegradable sources, such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA). In this context, the absence of literature reviews evidencing the results of the application of films in foods led us to write this article, given the importance of polymer blends produced with different types of starch (cassava, corn, pea, potato, rice and wheat) and the PLA matrix. According to the results, it is clear that polymer blends based on PLA/Starch for food packaging are very promising, already being part of the industries solutions, aiming to minimize the large volume of plastic waste of petrochemical origin discarded in nature. Obviously, as with any technology, more research is needed to further improve the performance of the films, and while much research has made great strides, there are still limitations that prevent the commercialization of these materials.