{
  "abstract": "Chitosan, produced through deacetylation of chitin from crustacean byproducts and, increasingly, fungal biomass and insects, is attracting food-sector interest because it combines antimicrobial activity, antioxidant capacity, biodegradability, and film-forming behavior in a single polymer. This review discusses how source, molecular weight (MW), degree of deacetylation, solubility, and charge density shape its performance in food systems. The paper then follows the main technological routes now tested or used: edible films and coatings, hydrogels, cryogels, nanoparticles, microcapsules, and hybrid matrices. These formats can protect fresh produce, meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and dairy foods, while also supporting beverage clarification, emulsion control, release of natural antimicrobials or antioxidants, and freshness monitoring in active or intelligent packaging. The evidence indicates strong promise, especially where microbial growth, lipid oxidation, moisture transfer, and short shelf life remain limiting factors. Yet, wider industrial use is still slowed by water sensitivity, sensory effects, raw-material variation, cost, process scale-up, and regulatory alignment. Future work should move beyond laboratory efficacy and address reproducible production, food-specific validation, and consumer acceptance.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de La Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700490 Iasi, Romania",
    "Department of Pedotechnics, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de La Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700489 Iasi, Romania",
    "Department of Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, “Ion Ionescu de La Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700490 Iasi, Romania"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ioana Cristina Crivei",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3048-5761"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Roxana Nicoleta Rațu",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5637-4376"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ionuţ Dumitru Veleşcu",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-2313-0063"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Florin Daniel Lipșa",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2127-4225"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Florina Stoica",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3841-3068"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Andreea Bianca Balint"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Ionuţ Pavel",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-2749-886X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Luciana Alexandra Crivei",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2909-347X"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dnfc1zgz0h449.bib",
  "cited_by": 6,
  "doi": "10.3390/app16126197",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "dnfc1zgz0h449",
  "issns": [
    "2076-3417"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/app16126197",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2502|Nanocomposite Films for Food Packaging"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7165377835",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/16/12/6197/pdf?version=1781793733",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-06-18",
  "publisher": "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dnfc1zgz0h449.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:27:01Z",
      "native_id": "W7165377835",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/app16126197"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2502|Nanocomposite Films for Food Packaging",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Chitosan-Based Technologies in the Food Industry: Functional Properties, Advanced Applications, and Future Perspectives",
  "title_text": "Chitosan-Based Technologies in the Food Industry: Functional Properties, Advanced Applications, and Future Perspectives",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T13:20:57Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dnfc1zgz0h449",
  "venue": "Applied Sciences",
  "versions": []
}