Table 3.

Characteristics and food use of polysaccharides extracted from animals and vegetables [140].

Polysaccharide	Properties	Main Food Applications
Starch	Biodegradable Transparent Odorless and tasteless Retrogradation high elongation and tensile strength	Flexible packaging: Extruded bags Nets for fresh fruit and vegetables Rigid packaging Thermoformed trays and containers for packaging fresh food.
Cellulose	Biodegradable Good mechanical properties Transparent Highly sensitive to water Resistance to fats and oils Need to perform modification, use of plasticizer, or polymer blend	Cellophane membranes.
Chitin	Biodegradable Antibacterial and fungistatic properties Biocompatible and non-toxic Highly transparent	Coffee capsules Food bags Packaging films
Chitosan	Biodegradable Biocompatible and non-toxic Antifungal and antibacterial properties Good mechanical properties Barrier to gases High water vapor permeability Brittle—need to use plasticizer	Edible membranes and coatings (strawberries, cherries, mango, guava, among others) Packaging membranes for vegetables and fruit