Boosting Food Packaging Sustainability Through the Valorization of Agri-Food Waste and By-Products

Natural and biodegradable polymers have gained significant attention as environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional synthetic materials, especially in food packaging. These materials offer several benefits, such as reduced environmental impact, biodegradability, and the use of renewable resources. In this context, agri-food waste and by-products have attracted huge attention as an effective strategy to valorize biomasses as renewable sources for the generation of polymeric materials. This review examines biopolymers from plant, animal, and microbial sources, focusing on their physical and chemical properties and application in food packaging. Results highlighted how the characteristics of the biopolymers extracted from plant and animal waste and by-products depend on source material and extraction techniques. In addition, a significant lack in the literature has been observed on microbial biopolymers' physical and chemical characteristics, for which the research is still focused on optimizing the production process. Despite this gap, microbial biopolymers have been successfully used in composite films and fillers. By comprehensively examining the properties of the biopolymer extracted from agri-food waste and by-products that play a crucial role in defining their success in producing food packaging material, we contribute to the ongoing efforts to create a circular economy and reduce the environmental impact of waste disposal.