Biodegradable polymers produced from renewable
resources have in recent years become a subject of intensive
scientific investigation and practical application. They
constitute a new class of materials, the basic advantages of
which are biodegradability under conditions of industrial
composting and the possibility of being produced from raw
materials of vegetable (e.g., corn, rice, wheat, millet, sugar
beets, and potatoes) or animal (e.g., whey) origin, which
enables saving of fossil resources, notably crude oil. Packaging,
especially food packaging, is one of prospective areas
of application of these materials. It is estimated that
aliphatic polyesters, such as polylactide (PLA),