Marine-Derived Biopolymers as Potential Bioplastics in Food Sectors

Plastics that are not renewable pollute landfills and oceans, posing environmental and health risks. Plastic pollution has led to the mortality of hundreds of thousands of seabirds and aquatic animals. This has sparked a surge of interest in bioplastics as a way to meet global plastic needs. Bioplastics provide various advantages over traditional plastics, including biodegradable properties, reduced carbon footprint, economical energy use, adaptability, unique tensile and thermal properties, and social acceptance. Bioplastics can replace petroleum-derived polymers in a broad spectrum of industries, including automobiles and medical applications. The primary source of bio-based plastics is agricultural crops, which has an adverse effect on both the natural environment and human survival. Bioplastics produced from marine sources are emerging as a viable and affordable way to meet the growing demand for plastic goods. Marine-derived biopolymers are captivating substances for a range of applications due to their physicochemical, natural, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and nontoxicity. In addition, the degrading characteristics have been marketed for their applications in the fabrication of food packaging materials. Further, marine-derived biopolymers have various applications, such as edible film, encapsulation/packaging, and materials for food coating. Using marine-sourced organisms to make bioplastics is advantageous because of its faster growth rate, lack of competition for food, and ability to treat wastewater at the same time. The marketplace for bioplastics is now booming for these reasons. Hence, this chapter focuses on the sources of marine biopolymers, marine biopolymer classification, various food applications, production challenges, and safety concerns.