Strategies to Design Multifunctional Tear-Proof and Permeation Resistant Food Packaging Films: An Overview

In today’s global food supply chain, packaging films must simultaneously withstand mechanical stresses during handling and transport while maintaining robust barrier performance against oxygen and moisture penetration, which are two key drivers of food spoilage and quality loss. Yet most polymer-based packaging films fail to deliver both properties together. This review systematically evaluates state-of-the-art strategies for enhancing the tear resistance and permeation barrier performance of polymer-based food packaging films. Six key approaches are assessed: (i) nanofiller addition (MMT, HNT, CNC, TiO2, graphene oxide), which improves tear strength by up to 86% and reduces OTR by up to 162%; (ii) polymer blending (LLDPE/PET, PLA/TPS, PA6/EVOH), which tunes morphology to reduce oxygen permeation by 48–65%; (iii) barrier coatings (DLC, SiOx, AlOx, nanocellulose), achieving OTR and WVTR reductions of up to 99.9%; (iv) multilayer structuring, which enables simultaneous mechanical and barrier optimization; (v) compatibilization, which enhances filler exfoliation and interfacial adhesion to yield concurrent tear and barrier improvements; and (vi) super fillers (HNT, ZnO-NPs, AgNPs, chitosan NPs), which deliver multifunctional antimicrobial, antioxidant, and ethylene-scavenging performance alongside barrier benefits. Particular emphasis is placed on hybrid strategies that synergistically combine these approaches, and on their direct food-packaging outcomes, including their alignment with sustainability goals.