Composite foams made from biodegradable polymers for food packaging applications

Abstract

Polymeric foams are cell structures (porous microstructures) that have been frequently made from synthetic polymers for use in the development of food packaging. Due to the problems concerning the environmental impact caused by polymers from the petrochemical industry, the foams have been more recently studied from biodegradable polymers. However, the polymer materials obtained are usually susceptible to moisture, thus conditioning the collapse of the porous structure of the material. As an alternative, the composite foams have been investigated from nanofillers such as clays, cellulose, nanoparticles, among others. This chapter aims to analyze the recent advances in the studies of composite foams.