Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Apr 27;15(9):2088.
doi: 10.3390/polym15092088.

Green Approaches on Modification of Xylan Hemicellulose to Enhance the Functional Properties for Food Packaging Materials-A Review

Petronela Nechita  1 , Mirela Roman Iana Roman  2 , Silviu Marian Năstac  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Green Approaches on Modification of Xylan Hemicellulose to Enhance the Functional Properties for Food Packaging Materials-A Review

Petronela Nechita et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Based on the environmental concerns, the utilisation of hemicelluloses in food packaging has become a sustainable alternative to synthetic polymers and an important method for the efficient utilisation of biomass resources. After cellulose, hemicellulose is a second component of agricultural and forestry biomass that is being taken advantage of given its abundant source, biodegradability, nontoxicity and good biocompatibility. However, due to its special molecular structure and physical and chemical characteristics, the mechanical and barrier properties of hemicellulose films and coatings are not sufficient for food packaging applications and modification for performance enhancement is needed. Even though there are many studies on improving the hydrophobic properties of hemicelluloses, most do not meet environmental requirements and the chemical modification of these biopolymers is still a challenge. The present review examines emerging and green alternatives to acetylation for xylan hemicellulose in order to improve its performance, especially when it is used as biopolymer in paper coatings or films for food packaging. Ionic liquids (ILs) and enzymatic modification are environmentally friendly methods used to obtain xylan derivatives with improved thermal and mechanical properties as well as hydrophobic performances that are very important for food packaging materials. Once these novel and green methodologies of hemicellulose modifications become well understood and with validated results, their production on an industrial scale could be implemented. This paper will extend the area of hemicellulose applications and lead to the implementation of a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based products that will decrease the environmental impact of packaging materials.

Keywords: acetylation; anhydrides; barrier properties; enzymes; food packaging; hemicelluloses; ionic liquids; xylan.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Possible mechanism for the metal chloride-catalysed acetylation of xylan [69].
Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structure of hardwood xylan [22].
Figure 2
Figure 2
The number of published and cited papers concerning hemicelluloses chemical modification (Web of Science, using the search term: hemicellulose chemical modification. A total 321 of publications address hemicellulose modification by acetylation and 41 are concerned with acetylation via ionic liquids, 14 March 2023).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Reaction of the esterification of the hemicelluloses (redrawn according to [67]).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Scanning electron microscopy micrographs of native hemicelluloses (a) and acetylated hemicelluloses (b), reprinted with permission from Ref. [98]. Copyright 2015 Springer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Khwaldia K., Arab-Tehrany E., Desobry S. Biopolymer coatings on paper packaging materials. Compr. Rev. Food Sci. Food Saf. 2010;9:82–91. doi: 10.1111/j.1541-4337.2009.00095.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Türe H., Gällstedt M., Johansson E., Hedenqvist M.S. Wheat-gluten/montmorillonite clay multilayer-coated paperboards with high barrier properties. Ind. Crop. Prod. 2013;5:11–16. doi: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2013.08.054. - DOI
    1. Guillard V., Gaucel S., Fornaciari C., Angellier-Coussy H., Buche P., Gontard N. The Next Generation of Sustainable Food Packaging to Preserve Our Environment in a Circular Economy Context. Front. Nutr. 2018;5:121. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2018.00121. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liu K., Liang H., Nasrallah J., Chen L., Huang L., Ni Y. Preparation of the CNC/Ag/beeswax composites for enhancing antibacterial and water resistance properties of paper. Carbohydr. Polym. 2016;142:183–188. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.01.044. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Johansson C., Bras J., Mondragon I., Nechita P., Plackett D., Simon P., Svetec D.G., Virtanen S., Baschetti M.G., Breen C., et al. Renewable fibers and bio-based materials for packaging applications—A review of recent developments. BioResources. 2012;7:2506–2552. doi: 10.15376/biores.7.2.Johansson. - DOI