Research Progress on Mechanical Stability of Polysaccharide Bio-based Films for Food Packaging

WANG Manyu; FENG Mengzhen; LI Jiaqi; LIU Zhengyuan; HUANG Shuting

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.13.010

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (13) : 78-89. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.13.010

Special Topic on Applications of High-Performance Fibers and Their Composites in Protection and Packaging

Research Progress on Mechanical Stability of Polysaccharide Bio-based Films for Food Packaging

WANG Manyu¹, FENG Mengzhen¹, LI Jiaqi¹, LIU Zhengyuan², HUANG Shuting^1,3*

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Abstract

The work aims to systematically review the causes of mechanical instability and regulation strategies of polysaccharide bio-based films, which are prone to mechanical performance degradation during practical food packaging use, especially in high-humidity or aqueous environments. With consideration of practical use conditions such as high humidity, food contact, heat sealing, bending deformation, handling compression, and storage aging, the structural characteristics, variations in mechanical properties, instability behaviors, and reinforcement modification methods of typical polysaccharide-based films, including cellulose-, alginate-, chitosan-, starch-, and carrageenan-based films, were reviewed. The results showed that polysaccharide-based films generally exhibited mechanical performance degradation under high-humidity or aqueous conditions, mainly manifested as decreased strength, reduced modulus, or changes in toughness. Their mechanical stability was jointly affected by interchain interactions, water plasticization, film structural integrity, interfacial bonding between components, and differences in hydrophilicity. Strategies such as chemical modification, polymer blending, nanofiller reinforcement, composite structural design, and processing regulation could strengthen interchain constraints, optimize interfacial bonding, improve film compactness, and reduce moisture sensitivity, thereby delaying mechanical performance degradation and improving the mechanical stability of the films. At present, polysaccharide bio-based films still face problems in food packaging applications, including insufficient retention of wet-state mechanical properties, difficulty in coordinating multiple properties, and inadequate evaluation of mechanical stability in real packaging environments. Therefore, establishing mechanical stability evaluation methods for typical food packaging application environments involving high humidity, contact, and storage, and clarifying the degradation rules and regulation mechanisms of polysaccharide-based films under wet conditions are important directions for improving their packaging applicability.

Key words

polysaccharide-based film / food packaging / mechanical stability / reinforcement modification

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WANG Manyu, FENG Mengzhen, LI Jiaqi, LIU Zhengyuan, HUANG Shuting. Research Progress on Mechanical Stability of Polysaccharide Bio-based Films for Food Packaging[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2026, 47(13): 78-89 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.13.010

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