Research Progress of Gelatin-based Biodegradable Films

It is one of the sensible strategy to reduce the energy consumption so as to avoid the environmental pollution through replacement of polyethylene food film by biodegradable film. Gelatin is easy to make film. But the pure gelatin film is brittle and liable to fracture, and is highly hygroscopic. Fortunately, these faults can be modified by the methods of blending or crosslinking with other biomacromolecules. This paper gives a general review of the preparation and properties of the biodegradable films as food packaging paper materials. The composite natural polymer compound not only improves the defects of gelatin film, but also endows the composite film with good tensile strength and elongation at break. It can effectively block oxygen and carbon dioxide in meat, fruits and vegetables, and has a considerable development prospect. The shortcomings are also prospected through the review, aiming at the present state and the progress of investigation on this field, in order to provide a new insight and tendency for the future research.