Mussel-inspired biomimetic adhesive coatings for food preservation: a review

In recent years, taking inspiration from mussel, an underwater organism, various packaging alternatives including adhesive coatings have been developed for food preservation to ensure food availability for everyone. The extraordinary adhesion exhibited by mussel is mainly offered by mussel foot proteins containing catechol groups. This catechol-based chemistry not only improves adhesion but also helps in imparting antimicrobial, antioxidant, and UV-blocking properties to packaging materials for increasing the shelf-life of food items. Herein, we first present an overview of catechol-based chemistry followed by a discussion involving a combination of catechol and its derivatives with various biodegradable polymers and nanomaterials. Further, we summarize the recent efforts made for developing mussel-inspired catechol-based coatings for food preservation, keeping minimum environmental impact in mind. Finally, we discuss various challenges and opportunities existing in this area for the successful commercial utilization of such biomimetic coatings in the future.