Comprehensive Review on Polyvinyl Alcohol-Based Electrospun Nanofibers for Food Packaging: Applications, Developments, and Future Horizon

The shift toward biodegradable films in food packaging is driven by concerns over the environmental impact of non-biodegradable petroleum-based plastics. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based materials have emerged as a promising alternative due to their favorable biological and physical properties, including biodegradability, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and ease of film formation. Indeed, PVA-based electrospun nanofibrous films (ENFs) offer several advantages, primarily due to their larger surface area-to-volume ratio at the nanoscale. This increased surface area can lead to enhanced porosity and mechanical properties, as well as improved surface functionalities, expanding the range of applications for PVA-based ENFs. Recent research has focused on blending PVA-based ENFs with different polymer proteins and polysaccharides such as chitosan, starch, zein, and gelatin. Moreover, functional materials like essential oils, nanocellulose, and lignin have been used to reinforce PVA ENFs. Nanomaterials such as zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been incorporated into PVA ENFs, either individually or in combination with fillers. The combination of PVA-based ENFs with other biopolymers and functional materials offers a versatile approach to tailoring the properties of packaging materials according to specific application requirements.