Recent Approaches to the Plasticization of Poly(lactic Acid) (PLA) (A Review).

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a polyester attracting growing interest every year in different application fields, such as packaging, cosmetics, food, medicine, etc. Despite its significant advantages, it has low elasticity that may hinder further development and a corresponding rise in volume of consumption. This review opens a discussion of basic approaches to PLA plasticization.

The Use of Mycelial Fungi to Test the Fungal Resistance of Polymeric Materials.

There are two main themes in the research on the biodegradation of industrial materials by mycelial fungi. The challenge of reducing environmental pollution necessitates the creation of biodegradable polymers that allow microorganisms, including mycelial fungi, to degrade them to low-molecule soluble substances. Additionally, to minimize the biodegradation of industrial materials while they are operating in the environment, there is a need to produce fungi-resistant polymer compositions.

Polysaccharides for Biodegradable Packaging Materials: Past, Present, and Future (Brief Review).

The ecological problems emerging due to accumulation of non-biodegradable plastics are becoming more and more urgent. This problem can be solved by the development of biodegradable materials which will replace the non-biodegradable ones. Among numerous approaches in this field, there is one proposing the use of polysaccharide-based materials.