This brief provides a comprehensive review of lignocellulosic materials and their primary role in the future development of bio-based packaging. Topics such as: sources and extraction methods of lignocellulosic materials; main constituents of lignocellulosic materials; functionality of lignocellulosic materials; the development of bio-based and biodegradable packaging; incorporation of lignocellulosic materials in bio-based packaging materials; properties and functionality of bio-based packaging, are discussed by authors who are experts in the field.  

Prof. Miguel Ângelo Parente Ribeiro Cerqueira is the co-founder of the company Improveat, Lda (Spin-off of the University of Minho), Braga, Portugal and Assistant Director of Industry and Process Laboratory in the Department of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. He has published 1 patent, 1 book, 5 review articles, 42 peer reviewed articles, and 57 abstracts in international conferences. Prof. Cerqueira has received many awards, the most recent being the Young Scientist Award, at 17th World Congress of Food Science and Technology - IUFoST, from 17 to 21 August 2014, Montreal, Canada. 
Lina Fernanda Ballesteros Giraldo obtained her PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering university of Minho Braga, Portugal. Her active research areas involve characterization of lignocellulosic materials, Extraction and characterization of bioactive compounds from natural sources, Extraction of antioxidant phenolic compounds. Her research interest include the use of coffee industry residue for fructooligosaccharides production by solid-state fermentation, extraction and characterization of polysaccharides and production of edible coatings/films for food application. Dr. Giraldo speaks Spanish, Portugeuse and English and has published five peer reviewed articles and one book chapter and ten abstracts in international conferences.
Prof. José António Couto Teixeira is based in the Biological Engineering Department, Universidade of Minho Campus de Gualtar, Braga in Portugal.To date, he has supervision of 31 PhD theses and 20 Post-docs and is a Scientific Consultant to the companies Frulact, Unicer, Quinta Dos Ingleses, Mendes Goncaves, Biotempo, BLC3, Fermentum and Partex.He is also President of the Scientific Council of Portugal Foods (the largest Portuguese Food Cluster) and President of the Portuguese Biotechnology Society; member of Institute of Food Technologists. Prof. Teixeira has co-edited the books Reactores Biológicos-Fundamentos e Aplicações (in Portuguese), Engineering Aspects of Milk and Dairy Products and Engineering Aspects of Food Biotechnology. Additionally, he is the author/co-author of over 400 peer reviewed papers. 

Lignocellulosic materials: sources and extraction methods.- Functional properties of lignocellulosic materials.- Bio-based packaging materials.- Use of lignocellulosic materials for the development of bio-based packaging.- Main properties of bio-based packaging.- Bio-based packaging applications.