Self-Healing Polymer a Dynamic Solution in Food Industry: a Comprehensive Review

Self-healing-based materials were initially explored in the material industry and various applications have been commercialized over the past two decades mostly in self-healing coatings which have shown significant advancements in reducing maintenance costs and prolonging the service life. Later this concept is diversified and used in other industries especially in the food processing sector as it provides innate self-healing capability which can automatically repair the damaged areas and reconstruct original properties to avoid degradation of food quality and loss of nutrients. A number of self-healing polymers which are mostly developed by two or more composites (mostly biodegradable such as sodium alginate/ chitosan, chitosan/poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid), gelatin extract/green tea) are being used in the food processing sector. Various processes such as physical, chemical, and physicochemical approaches are involved to devise self-healing materials. The mechanism of reversal from damage to healing has been discussed in different stages of the healing process by examining, the kinetics involved and the damage reversal process. Recently over the past decade, various research works about the application of self-healing in the field of food processing are being reported. So, this review summarizes the recent progress in the development of self-healing-based materials which have great potential for commercialization in food industries. The various fields of application of self-healing include edible film/coatings and extending the shelf-life of food either by hydrophilic property (which enhances anti-fogging performance) or antibacterial property of the film. This paper has even focused on self-healing materials with sensing properties such as distinguishing taste (E-Tongue) and smart labeling material. Finally, the future opportunities and challenges of applying self-healing materials in food industries have also been discussed.