Jone Uranga

Chitosan as a bioactive polymer: Processing, properties and applications

Chitin is one of the most abundant natural polysaccharides in the world and it is mainly used for the production of chitosan by a deacetylation process. Chitosan is a bioactive polymer with a wide variety of applications due to its functional properties such as antibacterial activity, non-toxicity, ease of modification, and biodegradability. This review summarizes the most common chitosan processing methods and highlights some applications of chitosan in various industrial and biomedical fields. Finally, environmental concerns of chitosan-based films, considering the stages from raw materials extraction up to the end of life after disposal, are also discussed with the aim of finding more eco-friendly alternatives.

The Potential of Vegetal and Animal Proteins to Develop More Sustainable Food Packaging

Vegetal and animal proteins have been considered promising alternatives to develop new sustainable food packaging derived from bio-resources. Edible, easy to process, renewable and environmental friendly are just a few characteristics that turn proteins into excellent raw materials to develop edible or biodegradable films. Furthermore, the valorization of industrial wastes or by-products to develop more sustainable films could add value to these products. In this context, food processing industries generate wastes that cause economic and environmental problems; therefore, the valorization of these wastes to obtain proteins could facilitate the waste management as well as the development of value-added products. Despite these environmental benefits, vegetal and animal proteins have some drawbacks and different strategies are explored to overcome those limitations for their use as food packaging. Taking this into account, the aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the currently developed films and coatings based on animal and vegetal proteins, including active packaging.

Valorisation of blueberry waste and use of compression to manufacture sustainable starch films with enhanced properties

Blueberry waste from juice processing was valorised to develop starch films by compression moulding. The compression process resulted in hydrophobic films with water contact angles even higher than 100° for the films prepared with the highest blueberry waste content. Additionally, the film solubility was reduced by the incorporation of blueberry waste, regardless of the solution pH. These films also exhibited good barrier properties against UV light due to the aromatic compounds present in the blueberry waste. Furthermore, films showed a homogenous surface, although some pores appeared in the cross-section for the films with the highest blueberry waste content. Results highlighted the use of thermo-mechanical processes such as compression to manufacture sustainable films with enhanced properties through waste valorisation by the techniques actually employed at industrial scale.

Extraction and incorporation of bioactives into protein formulations for food and biomedical applications

Bioactive compounds from natural resources have been pointed out as promising substances with great benefits for human health. Furthermore, new techniques for their extraction have been reviewed in order to consider a global approach taking economic and environmental issues into account. Additionally, the incorporation of these biologically active compounds into protein-based products manufactured via different processing methods, such as solution casting, compression moulding, electrospinning, freeze-drying, and 3D printing, has been assessed, since the design and manufacturing method employed have a direct influence into the final properties of the material. Hence, new opportunities to develop active biopolymeric materials with great potential in food and biomedical applications have been presented. This review aims to provide an overview of some advanced technologies employed for bioactive extraction, as well as the bioactives incorporation into protein formulations to produce biomaterials and food packaging.