Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

@article{196392,
        author = {Preetham Sai K and Dr. M. Bavanilatha and Dr. V. Ganesh Kumar},
        title = {Pectin-Based Biopolymer Films: From Structural Properties to Smart Food Packaging},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {11},
        pages = {2766-2775},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=196392},
        abstract = {Pectin is a naturally occurring polysaccharide, which is widely extracted from plant cell walls and identified as a promising biopolymer for food packaging. Due to its extensive film-forming capacity, intrinsic gelling properties and biodegradable properties, pectin makes it a perfect replacement for the petroleum-based plastics, especially in the food packaging sector. In food packaging sector, bioplastics are preferred rather than petroleum-based plastics since these petroleum-based plastics tend to degrade into microplastics and enter our bodies during the intake of plastic-covered food. This review critically examines the structural and physicochemical properties of pectin that influence the film formation, including the degree of esterification, molecular weight, and interactions with other biopolymers and nanoparticles. This review mainly focuses on adapting strategies to enhance the mechanical strength, barrier performances, and thermal stability through chemical modifications, cross-linking of polymers and incorporation of various bioactive agents.
This review further explores advances in smart pectin-based films, i.e., films with anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, and pH-responsive functionalities, enabling real-time monitoring of food quality and shelf-life extension. Currently, there are various challenges such as scalability, cost-effectiveness, and regulatory considerations which are also discussed in this review. Overall, this review highlights the potential of pectin-based biopolymer films as a next-generation solution for sustainable and intelligent food packaging.},
        keywords = {Bioplastic, Pectin, Sustainability, Smart packaging, Biopolymer, Eco-friendly},
        month = {April},
        }