Industrial Extrusion Processing and Structure Development of Biodegradable Films for Food Packaging Applications

ABSTRACT

Biodegradable films have emerged as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics for food packaging, but their industrial implementation requires balancing functional performance, processability, structure development and end‐of‐life behavior. This review critically examines biodegradable films, focusing on functional requirements, material selection and industrial processing technologies, particularly extrusion‐based processes and multilayer structures. Barrier and mechanical performance depend not only on polymer chemistry but also on morphology, crystallinity, molecular orientation, interfacial interactions and rheological behavior developed during processing. No single biodegradable polymer fulfills all packaging requirements: PVOH provides excellent oxygen and grease barrier but is moisture‐sensitive; PLA offers stiffness and useful barrier performance but is brittle; while flexible polyesters such as PBAT improve ductility but may compromise stiffness and moisture resistance. Blending, fillers and multilayer design can mitigate these trade‐offs by controlling morphology and diffusion pathways. Blown‐ and cast‐film extrusion further influence performance through orientation, cooling and crystallization, while coating and lamination combine complementary functions. Overall, this review establishes processing, structure and property relationships as a central design principle and identifies remaining challenges in melt stability, interfacial compatibility, barrier performance, industrial scale‐up and preservation of biodegradability or compostability.