Mainly owing to the fossil fuels depletion and the environmental
pollution caused by human activity, there is a growing urgency to develop novel products based on renewable materials
with low environmental charge in its whole life cycle. Life cycle
assessment (LCA) is a technique to evaluate the environmental
aspects related to a product, where the product is followed in
quantitative terms from raw materials extraction through production
and use, to its disposal (Baumann and Tillman, 2004). It is
extremely important to consider environmental issues designing
packaging systems in a more environmentally friendly way.
Minimal environmental impact and efficient utilization of natural
resources must be essential criteria in the development of new
materials for food packaging. Biodegradable/compostable materials
are usually based on polysaccharides, proteins and lipids, which are
generally non-toxic and effective barriers to oxygen and carbon
dioxide, so they can be used as protective materials to maintain
food quality and, at the same time, reduce the environmental
impact of packaging wastes. Bio-based materials appear to be more
environmentally friendly than petroleum-based materials when
their origin and biodegradability are compared (Álvarez-Chávez
et al., 2012). LCAs of bio-based products have shown reduced
impacts and positive results in terms of environmental burden
compared to petroleum-based products (Madival et al., 2009).
Moreover, there is a growing interest to develop materials with
antimicrobial character to prevent alterations in food caused by
microorganisms’ contamination and chitosan is an interesting film
forming material in this context