Source of Nanocellulose and Its Application in Nanocomposite Packaging Material: A Review

Extraction of Nanocellulose from the Residue of Sugarcane Bagasse Fiber for Anti-Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) Application

Nanocellulose contains a large number of hydroxyl groups that can be used to modify its surface due to its structure. Owing to its appealing features, such as high strength, great stiffness, and high surface area, nanocellulose is currently gaining popularity in research and industry. The extraction of nanocellulose from the leftover bagasse fiber from sugarcane production by alkaline and acid treatment was successful in this study, with a production yield of 55.6%. The FTIR and XPS results demonstrated a difference in the functional and chemical composition of untreated sugarcane bagasse and extracted nanocellulose. SEM imaging was used to examined the size of the nanocellulose with ImageJ software v1.8.0. TGA, DTG, and XRD analyses were also performed to demonstrate the successful extraction of nanocellulose in terms of its morphology, thermal stability, and crystal structure before and after extraction. The anti-S. aureus activity of the extracted nanocellulose was discovered by using an OD600 test and a colony counting method, and an inhibitory rate of 53.12% was achieved. According to the results, nanocellulose produced from residual sugarcane bagasse could be employed as an antibacterial agent.

A Review on Barrier Properties of Cellulose/Clay Nanocomposite Polymers for Packaging Applications

Packaging materials are used to protect consumer goods, such as food, drinks, cosmetics, healthcare items, and more, from harmful gases and physical and chemical damage during storage, distribution, and handling. Synthetic plastics are commonly used because they exhibit sufficient characteristics for packaging requirements, but their end lives result in environmental pollution, the depletion of landfill space, rising sea pollution, and more. These exist because of their poor biodegradability, limited recyclability, etc. There has been an increasing demand for replacing these polymers with bio-based biodegradable materials for a sustainable environment. Cellulosic nanomaterials have been proposed as a potential substitute in the preparation of packaging films. Nevertheless, their application is limited due to their poor properties, such as their barrier, thermal, and mechanical properties, to name a few. The barrier properties of materials play a pivotal role in extending and determining the shelf lives of packaged foods. Nanofillers have been used to enhance the barrier properties. This article reviews the literature on the barrier properties of cellulose/clay nanocomposite polymers. Cellulose extraction stages such as pretreatment, bleaching, and nanoparticle isolation are outlined, followed by cellulose modification methods. Finally, a brief discussion on nanofillers is provided, followed by an extensive literature review on the barrier properties of cellulose/clay nanocomposite polymers. Although similar reviews have been presented, the use of modification processes applied to cellulose, clay, and final nanocomposites to enhance the barrier properties has not been reviewed. Therefore, this article focuses on this scope.

Antibacterial Activities of Ag/Cellulose Nanocomposites Derived from Marine Environment Algae against Bacterial Tooth Decay

Dental caries is an infectious oral disease caused by the presence of different bacteria in biofilms. Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major challenge of dental caries treatment. Swabs were taken from 65 patients with dental caries in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Swabs were cultivated on mitis salivarius agar and de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) agar. VITEK 2 was used for the identification of isolated bacteria. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of the isolated bacteria was performed using commercial antibiotic disks. Ulva lactuca was used as a reducing agent and cellulose source to create nanocellulose and Ag/cellulose nanocomposites. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) were used to characterize nanocellulose and Ag/cellulose nanocomposites. The results showed that most bacterial isolates were Streptococcus spp., followed by Staphylococcus spp. on mitis salivarius media. Lactobacillus spp. and Corynebacterium group f-1 were the bacterial isolates on de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) media. The antibiotic susceptibility test revealed resistance rates of 77%, 93%, 0, 83%, 79%, and 79% against penicillin G, Augmentin, metronidazole, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, and cotrimoxazole, respectively. Ag/cellulose nanocomposites and Ag/cellulose nanocomposites with fluoride were the most effective antibacterial agents. The aim of this work was to assess the antibacterial activity of Ag/cellulose nanocomposites with and without fluoride against bacteria isolated from the oral cavities of patients with dental caries. This study demonstrated that Ag/cellulose nanocomposites have antibacterial properties against multidrug-resistant bacteria that cause dental caries.

The Critical Roles of Water in the Processing, Structure, and Properties of Nanocellulose

The cellulose industry depends heavily on water owing to the hydrophilic nature of cellulose fibrils and its potential for sustainable and innovative production methods. The emergence of nanocellulose, with its excellent properties, and the incorporation of nanomaterials have garnered significant attention. At the nanoscale level, nanocellulose offers a higher exposure of hydroxyl groups, making it more intimate with water than micro- and macroscale cellulose fibers. Gaining a deeper understanding of the interaction between nanocellulose and water holds the potential to reduce production costs and provide valuable insights into designing functional nanocellulose-based materials. In this review, water molecules interacting with nanocellulose are classified into free water (FW) and bound water (BW), based on their interaction forces with surface hydroxyls and their mobility in different states. In addition, the water-holding capacity of cellulosic materials and various water detection methods are also discussed. The review also examines water-utilization and water-removal methods in the fabrication, dispersion, and transport of nanocellulose, aiming to elucidate the challenges and tradeoffs in these processes while minimizing energy and time costs. Furthermore, the influence of water on nanocellulose properties, including mechanical properties, ion conductivity, and biodegradability, are discussed. Finally, we provide our perspective on the challenges and opportunities in developing nanocellulose and its interplay with water.

Plant-Derived Nanocellulose with Antibacterial Activity for Wound Healing Dressing

The medical sector is one of the biggest consumers of single-use materials, and while the insurance of sterile media is non-negotiable, the environmental aspect is a chronic problem. Nanocellulose (NC) is one of the safest and most promising materials that can be used in medical applications due to its valuable properties like biocompatibility and biodegradability, along with its good mechanical properties and high water uptake capacity. However, NC has no bactericidal activity, which is a critical need for the effective prevention of infections in chronic diabetic wound dressing applications. Therefore, in this work, a natural product, propolis extract (PE), was used as an antibacterial agent, in different amounts, together with NC to obtain sponge-like structures (NC/PE). The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed well-impregnated cellulose fibers and a more compact structure with the addition of PE. According to the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), the samples containing PE underwent thermal degradation before the unmodified NC due to the presence of volatile compounds in the extract. However, the peak degradation temperature in the first derivative thermogravimetric curves was higher for all the sponges containing PE when compared to the unmodified NC. The antibacterial efficacy of the samples was tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli, as well as on two clinically resistant isolates. The samples completely inhibited the development of Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was partially inhibited, while Escherichia coli was resistant to the PE action. Considering the physical and biological properties along with the environmental and economic benefits, the development of an NC/PE wound dressing seems promising.

Development of Active Antibacterial CEO/CS@PLA Nonwovens and the Application on Food Preservation

The biodegradable activity antibacterial materials have been widely applied on food preservation because they not only protect foods from pathogenic attacks but also relieve environmental pollution. Biodegradable melt-blown nonwovens (MB) have several advantages over the other materials in terms of a simpler and more environmentally friendly fabrication process, higher specific surface area, and lower cost. Herein, polylactic acid (PLA) MB is first modified by polydopamine (PDA) to activate the surface. Then, chitosan (CS) and cinnamon essential oil (CEO) are used to decorate the surface of the modified PLA MB via a simple one-pot method to prepare CEO/CS@PLA MB with different CEO contents. Compared with PLA MB, CEO/CS@PLA MB had a rougher surface and larger average fiber diameter, while the average pore diameter and air permeability reduced. The input of CEO led to a decrease in the tensile strength of CEO/CS@PLA MB and an obvious increase in the elongation at break. The combination of CS and CEO shows excellent synergistic antibacterial effect. The antibacterial efficiencies of CEO/CS@PLA MB against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus enhance with the increase of the CEO content. When the weight ratio of CS to CEO is 1:2, the antibacterial efficiencies of CEO2/CS@PLA MB against E. coli and S. aureus are 99.98 and 99.99%, respectively. When being applied to the preservation of fresh strawberry, CEO2/CS@PLA MB can effectively inhibit the microbial growth in strawberry and reduce decay, which extends the shelf time of strawberry.

Use of cellulose microfibers from olive pomace to reinforce green composites for sustainable packaging applications

To valorize abundant, unexploited, and low-cost agro-industrial by-products, olive pomace is proposed as a sustainable and renewable raw material for cellulose microfibers (CMFs) production. In this study, CMFs were extracted from olive pomace using alkaline and bleaching treatments and characterized in terms of morphological, structural, and thermal properties. Afterward, the reinforcing capability of microfibers was examined using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a polymer matrix by the solvent casting process. The effects of CMF loading (1%, 3%, 5%, and 10%) on the composites' mechanical, physical, morphological, and thermal properties were assessed. CMF incorporation led to a decrease in moisture content (MC), water solubility (WS), and water vapor permeability (WVP) and an increase in tensile strength (TS), stiffness and transparency values, and thermal stability of CMC films. Increasing CMF content to 5%, increased the TS and elasticity modulus by 54% and 79%, respectively, and reduced the WVP and light transmissivity at 280 nm, by 22% and 47%, respectively. The highest water, moisture, light barrier, and mechanical properties of composites were reached at 5% CMFs.

Boosting functional properties of active-CMC films reinforced with agricultural residues-derived cellulose nanofibres

The search for packaging alternatives that reduce the presence of non-biodegradable plastics in water is a focus of much research today. This fact, together with the increasing demand for active packaging capable of prolonging the shelf life of foodstuffs and the rise in the use of natural biopolymers such as cellulose, motivate the present work. This work evaluates CMC films loaded with gallic acid reinforced with (ligno)cellulose nanofibres from various agricultural residues as candidates for use in active food packaging. The first stage of the study involved the evaluation of different nanofibres as the reinforcing agent in CMC films. Increasing proportions of nanofibres (1, 3, 5 and 10% w/w) from horticultural residues (H) and nanofibres from vine shoots (V), containing residual lignin (LCNF) and without it (CNF), and obtained by mechanical (M) or chemical (T) pretreatment, were studied. The results of this first stage showed that the optimum reinforcement effect was obtained with 3% H-MCNF or 3% V-MCNF, where up to 391% and 286% improvement in tensile strength was achieved, respectively. These films offered slightly improved UV-light blocking ability (40-55% UV-barrier) and water vapor permeability (20-30% improvement) over CMC. Next, bioactive films were prepared by incorporating 5 and 10% wt of gallic acid (GA) over the optimised formulations. It was found that the joint addition of cellulose nanofibres and GA enhanced all functional properties of the films. Mechanical properties improved to 70%, WVP to 50% and UV light blocking ability to 70% due to the synergistic effect of nanofibres and GA. Finally, the bioactive films exhibited potent antioxidant activity, 60-70% in the DPPH assay and >99% in the ABTS assay and high antimicrobial capacity against S. aureus.

Harnessing Nature's Ingenuity: A Comprehensive Exploration of Nanocellulose from Production to Cutting-Edge Applications in Engineering and Sciences

Primary material supply is the heart of engineering and sciences. The depletion of natural resources and an increase in the human population by a billion in 13 to 15 years pose a critical concern regarding the sustainability of these materials; therefore, functionalizing renewable materials, such as nanocellulose, by possibly exploiting their properties for various practical applications, has been undertaken worldwide. Nanocellulose has emerged as a dominant green natural material with attractive and tailorable physicochemical properties, is renewable and sustainable, and shows biocompatibility and tunable surface properties. Nanocellulose is derived from cellulose, the most abundant polymer in nature with the remarkable properties of nanomaterials. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the methods used for nanocellulose preparation, structure-property and structure-property correlations, and the application of nanocellulose and its nanocomposite materials. This article differentiates the classification of nanocellulose, provides a brief account of the production methods that have been developed for isolating nanocellulose, highlights a range of unique properties of nanocellulose that have been extracted from different kinds of experiments and studies, and elaborates on nanocellulose potential applications in various areas. The present review is anticipated to provide the readers with the progress and knowledge related to nanocellulose. Pushing the boundaries of nanocellulose further into cutting-edge applications will be of particular interest in the future, especially as cost-effective commercial sources of nanocellulose continue to emerge.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Composite Edible Film Based on Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose Grafted with Gelatin

A novel composite edible film was synthesized by grafting gelatin chain onto hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) in the presence of glycerol (used as a plasticizer) using a solution polymerization technique. The reaction was carried out in homogeneous aqueous medium. Thermal properties, chemical structure, crystallinity, surface morphology, and mechanical and hydrophilic performance changes of HPMC caused by the addition of gelatin were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, universal testing machine and water contact angle. The results shows that HPMC and gelatin are miscible and the hydrophobic property of the blending film can be enhanced with the introduction of the gelatin. Moreover, the HPMC/gelatin blend films are flexible, and exhibit excellent compatibility, good mechanical properties and also thermal stability, and could be promising candidates for food packaging materials.

Recent trends in nanocomposite packaging films utilising waste generated biopolymers: Industrial symbiosis and its implication in sustainability

Uncontrolled waste generation and management difficulties are causing chaos in the ecosystem. Although it is vital to ease environmental pressures, right now there is no such practical strategy available for the treatment or utilisation of waste material. Because the Earth's resources are limited, a long-term, sustainable, and sensible solution is necessary. Currently waste material has drawn a lot of attention as a renewable resource. Utilisation of residual biomass leftovers appears as a green and sustainable approach to lessen the waste burden on Earth while meeting the demand for bio-based goods. Several biopolymers are available from renewable waste sources that have the potential to be used in a variety of industries for a wide range of applications. Natural and synthetic biopolymers have significant advantages over petroleum-based polymers in terms of cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and user-friendliness. Using waste as a raw material through industrial symbiosis should be taken into account as one of the strategies to achieve more economic and environmental value through inter-firm collaboration on the path to a near-zero waste society. This review extensively explores the different biopolymers which can be extracted from several waste material sources and that further have potential applications in food packaging industries to enhance the shelf life of perishables. This review-based study also provides key insights into the different strategies and techniques that have been developed recently to extract biopolymers from different waste byproducts and their feasibility in practical applications for the food packaging business.

Waste Orange Peels as a Source of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Their Use for the Development of Nanocomposite Films

To date, approximately 30-50% of food is wasted from post-harvesting to consumer usage. Typical examples of food by-products are fruit peels and pomace, seeds, and others. A large part of these matrices is still discarded in landfills, while a small portion is valorized for bioprocessing. In this context, a feasible strategy to valorize food by-products consists of their use for the production of bioactive compounds and nanofillers, which can be further used to functionalize biobased packaging materials. The focus of this research was to create an efficient methodology for the extraction of cellulose from leftover orange peel after juice processing and for its conversion into cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) for use in bionanocomposite films for packaging materials. Orange CNCs were characterized by TEM and XRD analyses and added as reinforcing agents into chitosan/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (CS/HPMC) films enriched with lauroyl arginate ethyl (LAE). It was evaluated how CNCs and LAE affected the technical and functional characteristics of CS/HPMC films. CNCs revealed needle-like shapes with an aspect ratio of 12.5, and average length and width of 500 nm and 40 nm, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy confirmed the high compatibility of the CS/HPMC blend with CNCs and LAE. The inclusion of CNCs increased the films' tensile strength, light barrier, and water vapor barrier properties while reducing their water solubility. The addition of LAE improved the films' flexibility and gave them biocidal efficacy against the main bacterial pathogens that cause foodborne illness, such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enterica.

Improved Antioxidant and Mechanical Properties of Food Packaging Films Based on Chitosan/Deep Eutectic Solvent, Containing Açaí-Filled Microcapsules

The development of biobased antioxidant active packaging has been valued by the food industry for complying with environmental and food waste concerns. In this work, physicochemical properties for chitosan composite films as a potential active food packaging were investigated. Chitosan films were prepared by solution casting, plasticized with a 1:2 choline chloride: glycerol mixture as a deep eutectic solvent (DES) and incorporated with 0-10% of optimized açaí oil polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs). Scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that the chitosan composite films were continuous and contained well-dispersed PECs. The increased PECs content had significant influence on the thickness, water vapor permeability, crystallinity (CrD) and mechanical and dynamic behavior of the films, as well as their antioxidant properties. The tensile strength was reduced in the following order: 11.0 MPa (control film) > 0.74 MPa (5% DES) > 0.63 MPa (5% DES and 5% PECs). Films containing 2% of PECs had an increased CrD, ~6%, and the highest elongation at break, ~104%. Films with 1% of PECs displayed the highest antioxidant properties against the ABTS and DPPH radicals, ~6 and ~17 mg TE g^-1, respectively, and highest equivalent polyphenols content (>0.5 mg GAE g^-1). Films with 2% of particles were not significantly different. These results suggested that the chitosan films that incorporated 1-2% of microparticles had the best combined mechanical and antioxidant properties as a potential material for food packaging.

Polysaccharides for Biodegradable Packaging Materials: Past, Present, and Future (Brief Review)

The ecological problems emerging due to accumulation of non-biodegradable plastics are becoming more and more urgent. This problem can be solved by the development of biodegradable materials which will replace the non-biodegradable ones. Among numerous approaches in this field, there is one proposing the use of polysaccharide-based materials. These polymers are biodegradable, non-toxic, and obtained from renewable resources. This review opens discussion about the application of polysaccharides for the creation of biodegradable packaging materials. There are numerous investigations developing new formulations using cross-linking of polymers, mixing with inorganic (metals, metal oxides, clays) and organic (dyes, essential oils, extracts) compounds. The main emphasis in the present work is made on development of the polymer blends consisting of cellulose, starch, chitin, chitosan, pectin, alginate, carrageenan with some synthetic polymers, polymers of natural origin, and essential oils.

Cellulose-Chitosan Functional Biocomposites

Here, we present a detailed review of recent research and achievements in the field of combining two extremely important polysaccharides; namely, cellulose and chitosan. The most important properties of the two polysaccharides are outlined, giving rise to the interest in their combination. We present various structures and forms of composite materials that have been developed recently. Thus, aerogels, hydrogels, films, foams, membranes, fibres, and nanofibres are discussed, alongside the main techniques for their fabrication, such as coextrusion, co-casting, electrospinning, coating, and adsorption. It is shown that the combination of bacterial cellulose with chitosan has recently gained increasing attention. This is particularly attractive, because both are representative of a biopolymer that is biodegradable and friendly to humans and the environment. The rising standard of living and growing environmental awareness are the driving forces for the development of these materials. In this review, we have shown that the field of combining these two extraordinary polysaccharides is an inexhaustible source of ideas and opportunities for the development of advanced functional materials.

Potential new material for optical fiber: Preparation and characterization of transparent fiber based on natural cellulosic fiber and epoxy

In order to reduce the dependence on fossil energy products, natural fiber/polymer hybrid composites have been increasingly researched. The high price of the quartz optical fibers and glass optical fibers has greatly inspired researchers to engage in the research on polymer optical fibers. Herein, transparent fibers based on plant fibers were innovatively prepared for the first time by delignification and impregnating epoxy diluted with acetone. The epoxy improved the thermal stability of the fiber without deteriorating its mechanical properties, and also endowed the fiber with the property of transparency. The tensile strength of transparent fibers of three diameters were 34.5, 58.6 and 100.3 MPa, respectively and the corresponding Young's modulus reached 1.1, 1.7 and 2.3 GPa, respectively. In addition, the light-conducting properties of transparent fibers were displayed with a green laser and the fibers displayed good light transmission along the fiber growth direction. Transparent fibers are expected to be used in optical fibers because of their high thermal stability, good mechanical properties and light-conducting properties.

Biodegradable Polymers in Triboelectric Nanogenerators

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted much attention because they not only efficiently harvest energy from the surrounding environment and living organisms but also serve as multifunctional sensors toward the detection of various chemical and physical stimuli. In particular, biodegradable TENG (BD-TENG) represents an emerging type of self-powered device that can be degraded, either in physiological environments as an implantable power source without the necessity of second surgery for device retrieval, or in the ambient environment to minimize associated environmental pollution. Such TENGs or TNEG-based self-powered devices can find important applications in many scenarios, such as tissue regeneration, drug release, pacemakers, etc. In this review, the recent progress of TENGs developed on the basis of biodegradable polymers is comprehensively summarized. Material strategies and fabrication schemes of biodegradable and self-powered devices are thoroughly introduced according to the classification of plant-degradable polymer, animal-degradable polymer, and synthetic degradable polymer. Finally, current problems, challenges, and potential opportunities for the future development of BD-TENGs are discussed. We hope this work may provide new insights for modulating the design of BD-TNEGs that can be beneficial for both environmental protection and healthcare.

Natural Cellulose from Ziziphus jujuba Fibers: Extraction and Characterization

Nowadays, due to their natural availability, renewability, biodegradability, nontoxicity, light weight and relatively low cost, natural fibers, especially lignocellulosic fibers, present attractive potential to substitute non-eco-friendly synthetic fibers. In this study, Ziziphus jujuba fibers were used, thanks to their low lignin content, as an alternative of renewable resource for the production of cellulosic fibers with suitable characteristics and minimal time and energy consumption. In fact, due to their valuable chemical composition, it was possible to remove the amorphous fractions and impurities from the fiber surface by applying ultrasounds coupled with alkaline treatment (80 °C, 5 wt.% NaOH), followed by a bleaching step. The efficient dissolution of the noncellulosic compounds was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The resulted increase in the crystallinity index (from 35.7% to 57.5%), occurred without impacting the crystalline structure of the fibers. The morphological analysis of the fibers evidences the higher surface area of the obtained fibers. Based on the obtained results, Ziziphus jujuba fibers were found to present a suitable sustainable source for the production of cellulosic fibers.

Different Preparation Method of Nanocellulose from Macaranga gigantea and Its Preliminary Study on Packaging Film Potential

Nanocellulose is a versatile cellulosic nanomaterial that can be used in many application areas. Applying different preparation strategies leads to different types of nanocellulose. In this study, nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) were prepared from lesser known wood species, viz., Macaranga gigantea, using sulfuric acid hydrolysis and enzymatic pretreatment with ultrafine grinding approaches, respectively. The respective nanocellulose was characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was then converted into a thin film to assess its performance which includes tensile test, transparency, air permeance, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), and water vapor permeability (WVP) properties. NCC and NFC produced from the raw material of Macaranga had average widths of 6.38 ± 3.92 nm and 13.17 ± 12.71 nm, respectively. Peaks in FTIR spectra showed the conversion of Macaranga wood to nanocellulose by the presence of cellulose fingerprint as well as absence of lignin and hemicellulose after alkaline treatment. The successful conversion was also supported by XRD analysis which displayed the increased crystallinity value from 54% to 70%. TGA decomposition pattern at 200-490 °C revealed the thermal stability of the samples. The thin film produced from nanocelluloses had WVTR values of 4.58 and 12.14 g/(day·m²) for NFC and NCC, respectively, comparable to those of films from polyester and oriented polypropylene. Nanocellulose-based thin film has the potential to be used as sustainable and biodegradable packaging.

The Green Era of Food Packaging: General Considerations and New Trends

Recently, academic research and industries have gained awareness about the economic, environmental, and social impacts of conventional plastic packaging and its disposal. This consciousness has oriented efforts towards more sustainable materials such as biopolymers, paving the way for the “green era” of food packaging. This review provides a schematic overview about polymers and blends of them, which are emerging as promising alternatives to conventional plastics. Focus was dedicated to biopolymers from renewable sources and their applications to produce sustainable, active packaging with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. In particular, the incorporation of plant extracts, food-waste derivatives, and nano-sized materials to produce bio-based active packaging with enhanced technical performances was investigated. According to recent studies, bio-based active packaging enriched with natural-based compounds has the potential to replace petroleum-derived materials. Based on molecular composition, the natural compounds can diversely interact with the native structure of the packaging materials, modulating their barriers, optical and mechanical performances, and conferring them antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Overall, the recent academic findings could lead to a breakthrough in the field of food packaging, opening the gates to a new generation of packaging solutions which will be sustainable, customised, and green.