An excessive intake of high-fat foods may pose a threat to human health. Oleogelation provides a promising strategy to reduce trans and saturated fatty acids in solid fats. Compared with small-molecule gelators, macromolecular gelators, particularly proteins, polysaccharides and their complexes are more suitable for this purpose. In this review, we systematically discuss the development potential of biopolymer-based oleogels. First, we elaborate the application of proteins, polysaccharides and their complexes as gelling agents. Second, despite the inherent hydrophilicity of these biopolymers, significant progress has been made in developing various preparation approaches, ranging from indirect templating strategies to direct dispersion methods. Third, we briefly discuss the underlying structuring mechanisms of these oleogels. Subsequently, we review their applications as fat replacers in specific food products. Finally, we present the conclusions and remaining challenges in this field. We aim to provide valuable insights into the utilization of biopolymer-based oleogels in the food industry.

We used dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) to evaluate soy flour adhesives made with and without a conventional crosslinking agent, polyamideamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE). Fixed-frequency and constant strain rate studies revealed that PAE contributes to a decrease in glass transition temperature (T_g), an increase in toughness, and a decrease in both the rubbery plateau modulus and onset temperature, consistent with plasticization. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of water-soluble extracts from pre-cured soy flour revealed the presence of polypeptides with exchangeable protons, carbohydrates, citric acid and lactic acid. Deuterium exchange studies showed that the protonated peptides were no longer water-soluble after cure. Instead, post-cure extracts contained heat-modified carbohydrates and carboxylic acids, together with adipic acid when PAE was employed. These results are consistent with a mechanism whereby PAE not only undergoes hydrolysis and chain scission, but also competitively co-reacts with peptides and carboxylic acids to yield a plasticized chain-extended network with decreased crosslink density, counter to its anticipated function. The implications of these findings as they pertain to moisture resistance and wood adhesion will be discussed.

This study investigates the interaction between poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and amber powdered waste (AbW) from jewelry at different filler concentrations (0, 1, 2.5, and 5 wt%) obtained via melt mixing in a corotating twin screw extruder. The resulting materials were pelletized and processed using two techniques: 1) cast film extrusion and 2) injection molding. The shaped specimens exhibited excellent interfacial adhesion. Thermal behavior, as assessed by Vicat softening temperature (VST), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), showed minimal variation among the composites. Despite similar melt flow rate (MFR) values among the samples, the incorporation of AbW affected the behavior of the polymer during cast film extrusion. Consequently, the composite films exhibited lower tensile mechanical parameters (tensile strength, Young’s modulus, stress and strain at break) compared to the neat PBAT film. In turn, the injection molded composites showed improved tensile, flexural, and impact parameters compared to their neat counterpart. Additionally, a slight decrease in water contact angle (WCA) suggested increased surface hydrophilicity of the extruded films. These findings demonstrate the potential of AbW as an additive for biopolymer composites with enhanced mechanical performance. The increased surface hydrophilicity is particularly relevant for applications targeting biocompatibility and biodegradability.

The growing focus on sustainability, eco-friendly technologies, decarbonization, and reducing carbon footprints shapes current industry challenges. This article reviews the potential of cinnamon as a bio-additive for polymer stabilization in packaging. Samples were prepared from ethylene-norbornene copolymer (Topas), a cyclic olefin copolymer known for purity, transparency, and low gas permeability, and poly(lactic acid) (PLA), a bio-based alternative to petroleum plastics. Cinnamon powder was added in 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt%. After solar and thermo-oxidative aging, hydrophobicity, chemical composition, mechanical, and color properties were analyzed. Results showed higher hydrophobicity and resistance to hydrolytic degradation due to reduced water penetration. PLA, normally brittle, became more flexible, with 0.5 wt% cinnamon showing optimal performance after 100 h of solar aging, similar to Topas composites. Overall, PLA and cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) films with cinnamon improved durability, extended food shelf life, and acted as natural color indicators of material aging.

The current experimental investigation presents a comparative evaluation of selected biodegradable polymer blends and their composites, focusing on their material properties. Two biopolymers, polylactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT), along with pineapple fibers (F), as bio-reinforcement were taken for the analysis, which was conducted in two stages: During first stage, PBAT was melt-blended with PLA in varying weight fractions (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt%) to produce PLA/PBAT blend (B) and in second stage, PLA, PBAT, B 80/20 blend were reinforced with pineapple fiber (10, 20, and 30 wt%). The samples were fabricated using extrusion-injection molding. The samples were characterized for density, thermal degradation, crystallinity, and mechanical behaviour. Among the blends, the optimal B 80/20 combination exhibited tensile strength, flexural strength, and elongation at break of 47.9±2.4, 88.2±5.4 MPa, and 330.6±10.47%, respectively. Results indicate that the PLA-based composites (PF) exhibit significantly better density, tensile strength, and flexural strength as compared to neat polymers, blends, blend-based composites (BF), and PBAT-based composites (TF). Among the PF composites, the PF 70/30 composite demonstrated superior performance, with maximum tensile and flexural strength values of 73.9±1.3 and 107.1±4.3 MPa, respectively.