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The requirements towards packaging and articles intended to come into contact with food are systematically growing. Due to the growing consumer interest in consumption of fresh products with extended shelf life and controlled quality, manufacturers have to provide modern and safe packaging. It is a challenge for the food packaging industry and also acts as a driving force for the development of new and improved concepts of technology packaging. It is in order to meet these needs that active packaging can be applied. This article presents a new generation of packaging, which allows to maintain and even improve the quality of the packaged product, which is an essential advantage particularly in the food industry. It is to this end that the role and the application of active packaging were discussed. Among the solutions belonging to the active packaging, there are oxygen and moisture scavengers, ethylene regulators, and antimicrobial packaging. Active packaging is an excellent solution for a wide range of applications in the food industry. The most important advantage resulting from their use is reduction in loss of food products due to extension of their shelf life. Active systems are the future direction for development of food packaging and their commercial success should be expected in the coming years. It will undoubtedly result from constantly improved technologies of their production and the knowledge about mechanisms of their functioning and the effectiveness of their operation in ensuring food safety accumulated by both producers and consumers over time.

One of the key factors of supporting the rapidly expanding seafood product industry in terms of quality control is the utilization of active packaging materials. Microorganisms are primarily responsible for the perishability and rapid disintegration of seafood. The incorporation of an inorganic compound, such as silica-based diatomaceous earth (DE), and a metal oxide, such as zinc oxide (ZnO), is proposed to develop active packaging materials with excellent antibacterial activity, minimized fishy odor, and brittleness at subzero temperatures. The mechanical, morphological, and physicochemical properties of these materials were investigated. The results show that the addition of DE/ZnO improved the antibacterial activity of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) samples by up to approximately 95% against both gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Additionally, it enhanced the Izod strength and stability at subzero temperatures of the samples. The odor evaporation test revealed that trimethylamine can be minimized in proportion to increasing DE/ZnO composite concentration. As a result, the development of active packaging materials from DE/ZnO composites is an emerging polymeric packaging technology for seafood products, wherein packaging and seafood quality are linked.

Eating safe and healthy food is a rising consumer awareness. Oxygen-sensitive foods can now be better protected using oxygen scavenging films, an emerging technology that extends the shelf life and maintains the quality and freshness of food products. The use of oxygen-absorbing materials in packaging is a current trend in active packaging, especially in food packaging. Some oxygen scavenging films have shown excellent oxygen absorbance and become commercial successes. Here, we review oxygen scavenging films used in food packaging, such as novel natural oxygen scavenging agents and active barrier films.

Blending of lignocellulosic fibers from Citrus trees trimming wastes and extracted gelatin (EG) was examined as low cost biobased active biofilm packaging materials imminent substitution for toxic and non-degradable petrochemical polymers. Citrus lignocellulosic fibers (CLCF) are rich with many antioxidants, biocompatible and have high safety profiles. EG is an extracted biopolymer from white leather shavings (WLS) as leather industry wastes after alkaline hydrolysis. Both wastes were an adaptation for safe and green packaging requirements. The resulting biofilms were described using Fourier transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TGA and DTGA), scanning electron microscope (SEM), biodegradability, antioxidant and antimicrobial. The properties of some characteristics of blends biofilms as far as mechanical, thermal properties have been discussed as biodegradable package films. In context, the prepared biofilms were characteristic with antimicrobial, antioxidant and biodegradability with adequate different mechanical and permeability properties which suitable to different packaging applications.Graphic Abstract

Carrageenan-based active packaging film was prepared by adding olive leaf extract (OLE) as a bioactive agent to the lamb meat packaging. The OLE was characterized in terms of its phenolic compounds (T.ph), antioxidant activity (AA), oleuropein, and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Escherichia coli. The film’s formulation consisted of carrageenan, glycerol as a plasticizer, water as a solvent, and OLE. The effects of the OLE on the thickness, water vapor permeability (WVP), tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (EB), elastic modulus (EM), color, solubility, and antimicrobial capacity of the carrageenan film were determined. The OLE had the following excellent characteristics: the T.ph value was 115.96 mgGAE∙g−1 (d.b), the AA was 89.52%, the oleuropein value was 11.59 mg∙g−1, and the MIC was 50 mg∙mL−1. The results showed that the addition of OLE increased the thickness, EB, and WVP, and decreased the TS and EM of the film. The solubility was not significantly affected by the OLE. The color difference with the addition of OLE was 64.72%, which had the benefit of being a barrier to oxidative processes related to light. The film with the OLE was shown to have an antimicrobial capacity during the storage of lamb meat, reducing the count of psychrophiles five-fold when compared to the samples packed by the control and commercial films; therefore, this novel film has the potential to increase the shelf life of lamb meat, and as such, is suitable for use as active packaging.

Interest in the utilization of antimicrobial active packaging for food products has increased in recent years. Antimicrobial active packaging involves the incorporation of antimicrobial compounds into packaging materials, with the aim of maintaining or extending food quality and shelf life. Plant extracts, essential oils, organic acids, bacteriocins, inorganic substances, enzymes, and proteins are used as antimicrobial agents in active packaging. Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of packaging materials using different methods has become a critical issue for both food safety and the commercial utilization of such packaging technology. This article reviews the different types of antimicrobial agents used for active food packaging materials, the main incorporation techniques, and the assessment methods used to examine the antimicrobial activity of packaging materials, taking into account their safety as food contact materials.

In this study, the surface of cellulose nanocrystals was first modified with citric acid, and the resultant modified cellulose nanocrystals (MCNC) were subsequently utilized as a reinforcement phase for polylactic acid (PLA). Findings indicated that MCNC interacted with PLA through hydrogen bonding, resulting in improved thermal stability, mechanical properties, and surface hydrophobicity of PLA nanofiber films. Specifically, the thermal degradation temperature, tensile strength, elongation at break, and contact angle of the nanofiber films increased by 19°C, 30.04%, 49.11%, and 11.22°, respectively, with a 3% addition of MCNC. Subsequently, utilizing PLA/MCNC as the base material and kaempferol as the active ingredient, a preliminary exploration into its potential as an active packaging material was carried out. When the addition amount of kaempferol was 10%, the DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging ability of the nanofiber film reached more than 90%, demonstrating its application potential as an active packaging material. These results offer a promising strategy for the effective dispersion of CNC within PLA matrices, thereby expanding the potential applications of PLA in the field of active packaging. In this study, we utilize modified cellulose nanocrystals to enhance the mechanical properties of polylactic acid. The active ingredient, kaempferol, is then combined with PLA and MCNC to form nanofiber films. A preliminary exploration of its potential as an active packaging material is conducted. With the expectation of providing a reference for the research and development of PLA‐based active packaging.

This work focused on the development of starch-based (potato, corn, sweet potato, green bean and tapioca) edible packaging film incorporated with blueberry pomace powder (BPP). The optical, mechanical, thermal, and physicochemical properties were subsequently tested. The film color was not affected by the addition of BPP. BPP incorporated into corn and green bean starch films showed increased light barrier properties, indicating a beneficial effect to prevent UV radiation-induced food deterioration. Film thickness and transparency were not primarily affected by changing the starch type or the BPP concentration, although the corn starch films were the most transparent. Furthermore, all films maintained structural integrity and had a high tensile strength. The water vapor transmission rate of all the films was found to be greater than conventional polyethylene films. The average solubility of all the films made from different starch types was between 24 and 37%, which indicates the usability of these films for packaging, specifically for low to intermediate moisture foods. There were no statistical differences in Differential Scanning Calorimetry parameters with changes in the starch type and pomace levels. Migration assays showed a greater release of the active compounds from BPP into acetic acid medium (aqueous food simulant) than ethanol medium (fatty food simulant). The incorporation of BPP into starch-chitosan films resulted in the improvement of film performance, thereby suggesting the potential for applying BPP into starch-based films for active packaging.

Fully bio-based and biodegradable active films based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blended with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and incorporating lactic acid oligomers (OLA) as plasticizers and carvacrol as active agent were extruded and fully characterized in their functional properties for antimicrobial active packaging. PLA_PHB films showed good barrier to water vapor, while the resistance to oxygen diffusion decreased with the addition of OLA and carvacrol. Their overall migration in aqueous food simulant was determined and no significant changes were observed by the addition of carvacrol and OLA to the PLA_PHB formulations. However, the effect of both additives in fatty food simulant can be considered a positive feature for the potential protection of foodstuff with high fat content. Moreover, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the proposed formulations increased by the presence of carvacrol, with enhanced activity against Staphylococcus aureus if compared to Escherichia coli at short and long incubation times. These results underlined the specific antimicrobial properties of these bio-films suggesting their applicability in active food packaging.

This study aimed to develop and characterize an active film from a wheat mill by-product little explored, named Glue Flour (GF) enriched with a commercial rosemary extract (RE). First, RE was characterized by its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Subsequently, films were elaborated by the casting technique and characterized by the thickness, moisture content, solubility, mechanical and barrier properties, optical characteristics, and their bioactive activities. The RE concentrations tested in films were 1, 5, 10, and 20% (v⋅wwater-1). RE showed antioxidant potential and antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Aspergillus brasiliensis; however, it did not inhibit Escherichia coli growth. Film solubility and moisture were approximately 12 and 35%, respectively. The addition of RE weakened the films mechanical and barrier properties. As the color of RE is green, the films tended to this coloration, lost luminosity, and the opacity increase was proportional to the RE concentration. Low luminosity indicates better barrier properties against UV light. From Pearson's correlation test (p < 0.05), the films concentration of RE, antioxidant activity, and inhibition zone (IZ) demonstrated a positive and significant correlation. This study demonstrated a by-product and a commercial RE potential in developing active biodegradable films.