From Classical to Advanced Use of Polymers in Food and Beverage Applications

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Polymers are extensively used in food and beverage packaging to shield against contaminants and external damage due to their barrier properties, protecting the goods inside and reducing waste. However, current trends in polymers for food, water, and beverage applications are moving forward into the design and preparation of advanced polymers, which can act as active packaging, bearing active ingredients in their formulation, or controlling the head-space composition to extend the shelf-life of the goods inside. In addition, polymers can serve as sensory polymers to detect and indicate the presence of target species, including contaminants of food quality indicators, or even to remove or separate target species for later quantification. Polymers are nowadays essential materials for both food safety and the extension of food shelf-life, which are key goals of the food industry, and the irruption of smart materials is opening new opportunities for going even further in these goals. This review describes the state of the art following the last 10 years of research within the field of food and beverage polymer's applications, covering present applications, perspectives, and concerns related to waste generation and the circular economy.

This work was supported by the Regional Government of Castilla y León (Junta de Castilla y León) and by the Ministry of Science and Innovation MICIN and the European Union NextGeneration EU PRTR. The project leading to these results has received funding from “La Caixa” Foundation, under the agreement CF/PR/PR18/51130007. We also gratefully acknowledge the grant PID2020-113264RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. Finally, we want to acknowledge the funding from Ministerio de Universidades European Union in the frame of NextGenerationEU RD 289/2021 (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid-CA1/RSUE/2021-00409)

Peer reviewed