ReviewPolymers2025
Challenges of Alginate-Based Cast Films in Plastic-Free Food Packaging Applications: An Overview.
Review in Polymers, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Chitosan-based multifunctional hydrogel coatings with dual antibacterial and antioxidant properties are used for preservation and anti-corrosion.RSC advances · 2026Article
- Edible coatings and films in meat preservation: Materials, functional mechanisms, and technological challenges.Veterinary world · 2026Review
- Polymer-Based and Biomaterial Encapsulation of Probiotics for Improved Viability.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Article
- Protein-Polysaccharide Gel Systems for Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Delivery in Sustainable Food Packaging: A Review.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Alginate-Based Biomaterials: From Fundamental "Egg-Box" Chemistry to Diverse Biomedical and Metabolic Management of Obesity and Diabetes.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This review investigates the potential of sodium alginate, a biobased polysaccharide from brown algae, for food packaging applications. It analyzes the main challenges of cast films, including water vapor permeability, mechanical performance, and processability, and evaluates strategies to enhance these properties without chemical modification. Chemical modification is excluded because it would classify alginate as a plastic under EU regulations (PPWR, SUPD), conflicting with plastic-free packaging. The review synthesizes literature from 2004 to 2025 on pure sodium alginate films that are plasticized and ionically crosslinked without additional modifiers or nanofillers. While alginate provides excellent oxygen and fat barriers, its high water vapor permeability and brittleness limit broader use. Ionic crosslinking improves strength and water resistance, yet non-uniform networks remain a key challenge. Film performance is also influenced by drying temperature, mixing speed, molecular weight, and protein incorporation. This review differs from previous studies by highlighting the coupled effects of plasticization, ionic crosslinking, and processing limitations that together determine alginate's industrial feasibility. Research gaps concern long-term stability and behavior under industrial packaging conditions. Given environmental and regulatory pressures to replace fossil-based plastics, sodium alginate shows strong potential as a scalable, renewable material for sustainable food packaging.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.