Overview of Food Antimicrobial Packaging

Abstract

Acutely due to awareness that food products are highly vulnerable to microbial contamination, the food industry constantly tries to uncover new methods for the preservation of their products in order to guarantee their goods and processes continue to offer the highest quality and uphold safety standards throughout the production, storage, and distribution chain. Antimicrobial food packaging can play an important role in food shelf-life extension through the inhibition of microorganism growth present on the surface of food products. Antimicrobial packaging materials containing active substances incorporated into a polymer matrix or as surface coatings have begun to receive more attention for their use as antimicrobial control agents in food packaging systems. The most commonly used packaging materials are paper and plastics. However, from the ecological point of view, biopolymer-based materials have recently garnered more attention in the development of antimicrobial packaging as an alternative, due to their nontoxic biodegradability. In addition, the ongoing global spread of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 has led to a preference for fresh food packaged in single-use food coverings. In order to address customer concerns and safeguard their health, the packaging industry could implement additional health safety measures, such as active packaging with antiviral properties.

Influence of Active Packaging Covered with Coatings Containing Mixtures of Glycyrrhiza L. and Scutellaria baicalensis Extracts on the Microbial Purity and Texture of Sliced Chicken Sausages

“…Active packaging materials, such as coated films or paper, for short time storage can be the ideal solution to this problem. These materials should be covered with coatings containing natural substances, such as plant extracts, which act as antimicrobial compounds [10,22]. The results of the current work showed that MHPC coating containing 50% of the S. baicalensis* and Glycyrrhiza L. extracts (in m1-1*:2 ratio) mixture inhibited the growth of mesophilic bacteria for sliced chicken sausages that were stored for 72 h and decreased their number after 144 h of storage.…”

The Antifungal and Antiviral Activity of Coatings Containing Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Verbascum L. or Formitopsis betulina Extracts and Their Influence on the Quality of Strawberries after Storage

“…The most widespread strawberry pathogens are Fusarium oxysporum, Phytophthora fragariae, Colletotrichum acutatum, Verticillium dahliae, Botrytis cinerea, Macrophomina phaseolina, Xanthomonas fragariae, Rhizopus stolonifer and Penicillium expansum, Cladosporium sp. [4][5][6].…”

“…Edible coatings, when applied as a thin layer on the surface of food products, act as a barrier against gases, vapors and solutes and may maintain food quality at a high level. They may potentially extend the shelf-life through the reduction of microorganisms responsible for fruit decay [6][7][8]. The active agents can also be incorporated into the packaging material [6].…”

“…They may potentially extend the shelf-life through the reduction of microorganisms responsible for fruit decay [6][7][8]. The active agents can also be incorporated into the packaging material [6]. Active packaging for fresh fruits can play an important role in their quality preservation and their safety [6].…”

“…The active agents can also be incorporated into the packaging material [6]. Active packaging for fresh fruits can play an important role in their quality preservation and their safety [6]. Polypropylene films coated with antimicrobial layers release active agents into the product, reducing or inhibiting microorganism growth, which may prolong the shelf life of fruits [6,[9][10][11].…”