Active and intelligent packaging: The indication of quality and safety

Abstract

The food industry has been under growing pressure to feed an exponentially increasing world population and challenged to meet rigorous food safety law and regulation. The plethora of media consumption has provoked consumer demand for safe, sustainable, organic, and wholesome products with "clean" labels. The application of active and intelligent packaging has been commercially adopted by food and pharmaceutical industries as a solution for the future for extending shelf life and simplifying production processes; facilitating complex distribution logistics; reducing, if not eliminating the need for preservatives in food formulations; enabling restricted food packaging applications; providing convenience, improving quality, variety and marketing features; as well as providing essential information to ensure consumer safety. This chapter reviews innovations of active and intelligent packaging which advance packaging technology through both scavenging and releasing systems for shelf life extension, and through diagnostic and identification systems for communicating quality, tracking and brand protection.

Influence of Green Tea and Basil Extracts on Cassava Starch Based Films as Assessed by Thermal Degradation, Crystalline Structure, and Mechanical Properties

“…Particularly, cassava starch has been frequently investigated because it derives from renewable resources, is economical, and is a good film former . However, due to the poor competitiveness of starch films with current plastics, the focus is mostly on the generation of starch‐based materials with “added value.” In this sense, new biodegradable films must have the ability to wrap a food but also act as functional packaging (active and/or intelligent) that can extend the useful life of the product and/or communicate any change in food quality …”

“…[7] In this sense, new biodegradable films must have the ability to wrap a food but also act as functional packaging (active and/or intelligent) that can extend the useful life of the product and/or communicate any change in food quality. [8][9][10] The use of sustainable natural sources as raw material to provide functionality to starch films is a great proposal of the current synergy between "industry-green world," as well as the new healthy consumer trends. The incorporation of natural extracts into starch-based materials is a strong strategy for forming active films due to their antioxidant characteristics and, in several cases, to their antimicrobial effect.…”

Introduction of highly effective proactive food safety management programs into food distribution channels: For safe food labeling and safe advertisements

“…Information on packaging materials (Table , checklist clause 9) is essential for chemical and foreign substance management (Addo Ntim et al, ). Food contact materials are related to consumer product usage and must be properly indicated (Janjarasskul & Suppakul, ). Producer and traceability information (Table , checklist clauses 2 and 3) and advertisement are safety devices for reverse tracing when microbial/chemical hazards occur to prevent further harm, deduce causes, and take rapid actions (Adams, ; Liu et al, ; Mao, Wang, Hao, & Li, ; Meyerding, ; Russo & Tufi, ; Tibola, da Silva, Dossa, & Patricio, ; Tinacci et al, ).…”

Active packaging systems with emphasis on its applications in dairy products

“…Ethylene scavengers are beneficial for keeping ethylene‐sensitive vegetables and fruits like kiwis, apples, bananas, tomatoes, mangos, carrots, asparagus, and onions. According to different reactions, ethylene scavengers are widely applied to decrease climacteric fruits maturation rate, which is considered as an important point for fresh vegetables and fruits import–export (Janjarasskul & Suppakul, ). Commercially, several action mechanisms exist.…”