Chitin- and Chitosan-Based Biocomposites for Food Packaging Applications

Chitin is one of the most important biopolymers, synthesized by an enormous number of living organisms and is a promising bioactive polymer for food packaging applications due to its functional properties. This book focuses on composition, properties, characterization, and theoretical approach of chitin and chitosan bio-composites. It describes the most recent studies concerning chitin and chitosan-based films and gives an overview about future trends regarding the industrial applications of chitin and chitosan for food packaging purposes. This book is especially useful for researchers in the fields of bionanocomposites, especially those with an interest in packaging applications.

1. An Overview of Biopolymer from Natural Resources 2. Fabrication of Bionanocomposites from Chitin 3. Fabrication of Bionanocomposites from Chitosan 4. Thermal and Mechanical studies for Chitin-Chitosan Bionanocomposites 5. Barrier, Degradation and Cytotoxicity Studies for Chitin-Chitosan Bionanocomposites 6. Studies on Chitin and Chitosan Based Bionanocomposites for Active Packaging 7. A Theoretical Approach of Chitin and Chitosan Based Bionanocomposites 8. Novel Approaches for Chitin/Chitosan Composites in Packaging Industry

Professor Sabu Thomas is currently Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University and the Founder Director and Professor of International and Interuniversity Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. He is also a full professor of Polymer Science and Engineering at School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. Prof Thomas is an outstanding leader with sustained international acclaims for his work in Nanoscience, Polymer Science and Engineering, Polymer Nanocomposites, Elastomers, Polymer Blends, Interpenetrating Polymer Networks, Polymer Membranes, Green Composites and Nanocomposites, Nanomedicine and Green Nanotechnology. Prof Thomas has received many national and international awards and has published over 800 peer reviewed research papers, reviews and book chapters. He has co-edited 80 books and he is the inventor of 6 patents. Dr Loganathan Sravanthi is currently working as DST INSPIRE Faculty at CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu. Prior to joining CECRI, she worked as Dr Kothari Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof Sabu Thomas at School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala. She completed her Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam, India. Her research work focuses on biopolymer composites for food packaging and tissue engineering applications, mesoporous materials for carbon capture, synthesis of green materials for high performance applications. She received several prestigious awards given by Govt. of India, including Dr Kothari postdoc award, DST national postdoc award and DST INSPIRE Faculty She has published several research articles in the field of porous materials for carbon capture and biopolymer based composites for food packaging reputed high impact journals. Miss Jissy Jacob is currently working as a research scholar under the guidance of Prof Sabu Thomas at Mahatma Gandhi University. She has expertise in polymer chemistry and her research interests are in the field of biopolymer based nanocomposites for food packaging application. She works towards development of mesoporous materials from sustainable resources via green synthesis process and fabrication of several biopolymer composites with improved mechanical, thermal and gas barrier properties. Her research articles are published in reputed journals.