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Purpose The purpose of this study is to review the recent approaches in food packaging trends to address the preferences of the modern world. Design/methodology/approach Recent studies in all the emerging food packaging technologies have been discussed with the examples of commercially available products. Findings Advanced food packaging solutions have acquired much appreciation from food industries to address the preferences of the modern world. This paper attempts to describe the current practices in food packaging with examples of commercially available products. Significant emphasis has been given on the technical aspects of the intelligent packaging components, namely, barcodes, radio frequency identification, sensors and indicators. Another distinctive area of packaging focused in this review is the importance of bioplastics due to non-degradable nature of synthetic polymers. Three major categories of biodegradable polymers, namely, polysaccharide-based materials, protein-based materials and lipid-based materials, have been discussed along with an insight about sustainable packaging and edible films and coatings. Originality/value Changes in the industrial & retail matters and increasing demand for fresh, safe, nutritious food are the factors owing to the new innovations in the packaging sector. Imminent packaging technologies aim at value addition involving the extension of shelf life, prevention of microbial attack, proper moisture barrier, use of carbon dioxide scavengers/emitters, ethylene scavengers, flavor absorbers, freshness indicators, biosensors and release of bioactive compounds during storage.

Minimal processing is the subject of major interest for both food preservation and food preparation. At present; thermal processing techniques, pasteurization and sterilization methods are extensively practiced to process milk and milk products, these techniques are well established and validated ensure consumer safety. But there is a need for novel; non-thermal processing technique, so that it can minimize the organoleptically and nutritionally damaged during thermal processing, thereby, maintaining the "freshness" of foods by reducing heat degradation of nutritional and other bioactive components. There are many alternate novel food processing techniques available, amongst them high pressure processing seems a very promising technique for dairy products, as it offers numerous opportunities for developing new shelf stable foods, retaining its natural nutritional value with excellent organoleptic characteristics. In this review, effect of high pressure processing on physico-chemical properties of milk and its constituents are discussed, with focus on fermented milk products. Packaging requirements along with legal and safety concerns also elaborated in brief.

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