The increasing hunger concern and current need in the development of sustainable food security in the developing countries.

Background: COVID-19 has affected millions of people worldwide. Recently, international agencies have revealed that poverty and hunger could kill more people than COVID-19 victims. Many global workforces have lost their jobs during this pandemic situation. In developing countries, most of the workers and their families live hand to mouth, depending on daily wage, and loss of income would be a hunger pandemic. Globally, the proportion of undernourished and hungry people have been on an upswing due to climate changes and violent conflicts. The millions of people are facing chronic malnourishment and COVID-19 menaces undermining the endeavour of philanthropic and food security. COVID-19 has increased the risk of livelihood by the shortage of food and distraction of the supply chain especially in the developing countries where rural expanses depend on agriculture production and seasonal jobs. So, if they are forced to limit their activities, their livelihoods will be demolished. Scope and approach: COVID-19 is increasing the jeopardy of food prices over the world, which would prompt a crisis in several developing countries. The government organizations in developing countries are doing well to protect people from the current pandemic. But they are also in critical situation regarding food supply chains and are facing difficulties in providing nutrient-rich foods. The susceptible people are fraught to secure household income and manage their food. In this review, we have explored the food security approach, food supply chain and risk of food shortage. Every country in the world needs to implement effective interventions to maintain open trade and food supply chains, ensure access to nutrients for all at affordable prices and develop co-operation to preserve the flexibility of universal food markets.

Enhancing mechanical and water barrier properties of starch film using chia mucilage.

Biodegradable packaging materials are increasingly being investigated due to rising concerns about food safety and environmental conservation. This study examines the incorporation of chia mucilage (CM) into starch-based films using the casting method, aiming to understand its effects on the structure and functionality of the films. CM, an anionic heteropolysaccharide, is hypothesized to enhance the mechanical and barrier properties of the films through polymer interactions and hydrogen bonding. Our findings confirm that CM incorporation results in films with uniformly smooth surfaces, indicating high compatibility and homogeneity within the starch matrix. Notably, CM improves film transparency and crystallinity. Mechanical assessments show a remarkable elevation in tensile strength, soaring from 5.21 MPa to 12.38 MPa, while elongation at break decreases from 61.73 % to 31.42 %, indicating a trade-off between strength and flexibility. Additionally, water solubility decreases from 57.97 % to 41.40 %, and water vapor permeability is reduced by 30 % with CM loading. These results highlight the role of CM in facilitating the formation of a dense, interconnected polymeric network within the starch matrix. Given the soluble dietary fiber nature of CM, the CS/CM (corn starch/chia mucilage) blended films are expected to be safe for food packaging and applicable as edible films with health benefits.

Improved hydrophobicity, antibacterial and mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol/quaternary chitosan composite films for antibacterial packaging.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (CS) are attractive polymeric feedstocks for developing eco-environmental materials. In this work, a biodegradable and antibacterial film was developed based on PVA blending with different long-chain alkyl and different contents of quaternary chitosan through solution casting, in which quaternary chitosan not only acted as an antibacterial agent but also improved hydrophobicity and mechanical properties. A novel peak appeared at 1470 cm-1 in Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and a new CCl bond spectral peak at 200 eV in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra suggested that CS was successfully modified by quaternary. Besides, the modified films have better antibacterial effects against Escherichia (E. coli) and Staphylococcus (S. aureus) and present stronger antioxidant properties. Optical properties demonstrated that the light transmittance on both UV and visible light showed a decreasing trend with the increase of the quaternary chitosan contents. Whereas the composite films have enhanced hydrophobicity than PVA film. Furthermore, the composite films had higher mechanical properties, in which Young's modulus, tensile strength, and elongation at break were 344.99 MPa, 39.12 MPa, and 507.09 %, respectively. This research demonstrated that the modified composite films could extend the shelf of life on antibacterial packaging.