Polymers obtained from renewable resources or valorization of agroindustrial wastes or by-products are regarded as an attractive alternative (Álvarez-Chávez et al., 2012; Mumtaz et al., 2010).
Among polymers derived from renewable resources, soy protein could be a potential replacement for petroleum-based products since it is abundant, inexpensive, and biodegradable, and therefore environmentally friendly (Luckachan and Pillai, 2011).
Soy protein is extracted from soybeans used to obtain soy oil. During this process, soy flour is obtained as a secondary product and it can be purified to obtain soy protein concentrate (SPC) and soy protein isolate (SPI), adding value to agricultural by-products.
Although optimization in processing methods is required, this kind of proteins could offer significant opportunities to develop packaging materials in the future.
These soy-based plastics could be employed as short-term use or one-time use plastic products in place of the non-biodegradable materials currently used.