Active and intelligent biodegradable packaging films using food and food waste-derived bioactive compounds: A review

Bio-Based Sensors for Smart Food Packaging—Current Applications and Future Trends

“…To perform their function and help in the maintenance of food quality, freshness indicators are based on a color change of pigments that are added to the indicator and are reactive to pH changes. Synthetic dyes are commonly used such as methyl red, bromocresol purple, bromophenol blue, chlorophenol red have been proved to be able to react to pH changes when integrated into intelligent packaging systems [ 34 , 49 ]. Although they are demonstrated to be effective, they are not fitted to be used for food applications due to their toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic characteristics that threaten not only the consumers’ health but also the environment [ 50 ].…”

“…The use of natural dyes instead of synthetic ones fits the consumption trend for sustainable and more natural healthy choices [ 49 ]. Natural pigments extracted from plants and fruits are renewable, demonstrate low toxicity, and low environmental impacts [ 50 ].…”

“…Films were attached to the top of Petri dishes to have contact with poultry meat and prawn environment during storage (0 °C, 4 °C, and 30 °C). At any temperature and for both food products, films changed their color from red to grey–purple, because of the production of volatile nitrogenous compounds that caused deprotonation of anthocyanins [ 49 ]. The use of two biopolymers that interact with the anthocyanins avoided the pigment to be released into the water.…”

“…Curcumin is a polyphenol extracted from the roots of turmeric and exhibits antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory activity and presents a strong yellow–orange color [ 44 , 49 ]. From a pH range of 1 to 7, it presents yellow coloration and above a pH of 8, curcumin color changes to red–orange [ 44 ] ( Figure 4 ).…”

Packaging Innovations to Reduce Food Loss and Waste: Are Italian Manufacturers Willing to Invest?

“…Moreover, Bhargava et al, (2020) highlighted the possibility to use FW for producing bioactive compounds in active and intelligent biodegradable packaging films. These are economical, safe, non-toxic, sensitive, easy to be manufactured and commercialized for fresh food products in order to evaluate the visual quality in a simple way [54]. In this context, Firouz et al, (2021) underlined that these emerging technologies present some important barriers to be considered, such as the production costs, the complexity of these technologies as well as the consumers' acceptance.…”