Spirulina application in food packaging: Gaps of knowledge and future trends

Background: Conventional plastics have been widely applied in the food industry as packaging material because of their attractive characteristics, such as great mechanical resistance and moldability, as well as their highly cost-effective ratio. However, their use have negative impacts on the environment, including waste generation and pollution. Biodegradable and edible films produced from naturally available biomacromolecules have been seen as an alternative to synthetic polymers derived from petroleum in the development of food packaging. In this context, due to its rich composition and interesting bioactive properties, Spirulina has been considered a promising raw material for the production of multifunctional packaging materials.Scope and approach: This article comprehensively reviews along it sections the state of the art in using Spirulina and phycocyanin to develop active and smart biodegradable and edible materials for application as food packaging, thus serving as a guide for researchers. Finally, the last section addresses recent trends and challenges related to the development of more environmentally friendly Spirulina-based packaging.Key findings and conclusions: Spirulina has been gaining prominence in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries because of its rich composition and bioactive properties. Thus, studies have been conducted to analyze its potential use as a biopolymer and source of bioactive compounds in the development of active and smart packaging systems so as to extend and monitor the shelf life of packaged foods. Although the results are promising, few studies in the literature elucidate its use, which justifies the need to expand and encourage this line of research.