# Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Based Films for Sustainable Food Packaging: Modification Strategies and Structure–Property Relationships

## TL;DR

This paper reviews strategies to improve carboxymethyl cellulose films for sustainable food packaging, focusing on enhancing their mechanical and barrier properties.

## Contribution

A comprehensive and critical review of CMC modification strategies from 2015 to 2025 for food packaging applications.

## Key findings

- Physical and chemical modifications improve mechanical and barrier properties of CMC films.
- Functional fillers and nanomaterials enhance antimicrobial and antioxidant activity.
- Structure–property relationships are key for designing advanced CMC-based materials.

## Abstract

The growing environmental impact of petroleum-based plastics has intensified research into sustainable, biodegradable alternatives for food packaging. Among bio-derived polymers, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) has attracted increasing attention due to its abundance, non-toxicity, biodegradability, and excellent film-forming ability. Nevertheless, the intrinsic hydrophilicity and limited mechanical strength of neat CMC restrict its direct application in packaging systems. This review provides a comprehensive and critical overview of recent strategies developed between 2015 and 2025 to enhance the performance of CMC-based films for food packaging applications. Emphasis is placed on physical and chemical modification routes, including polymer blending, polyelectrolyte complex formation, incorporation of functional fillers and nanomaterials, and ionic or covalent crosslinking approaches. The influence of these strategies on key functional properties, such as mechanical behavior, water barrier performance, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, is systematically discussed. Particular attention is given to CMC-rich systems, enabling meaningful comparison across studies. By highlighting structure–property relationships and identifying current limitations, this review aims to provide guidance for the rational design of advanced CMC-based materials as viable, eco-friendly alternatives to conventional plastic packaging.