Food packaging was not as important in the past as it is now, because the world has more people but fewer food resources. Food packaging will become more prevalent and go from being a nice-to-have to an essential feature of modern life. Food packaging has grown to be an important industry sector in today’s world of more people and more food. Food packaging innovation faces significant challenges in extending perishable food products’ shelf life and contributing to meeting daily nutrient requirements as people nowadays are searching for foods that offer additional health advantages. Modern food preservation techniques have two objectives: process viability and safe, environmentally friendly end products. Long-term storage techniques can include the use of edible coatings and films. This article gives a succinct overview of the supplies and procedures used to coat food products with conventional packaging films and coatings. The key findings summarizing the biodegradable packaging materials are emphasized for their ability to prolong the freshness and flavor of a wide range of food items; films and edible coatings are highlighted as viable alternatives to traditional packaging methods. We discuss the safety concerns and opportunities presented by applying edible films and coatings, allowing it to be used as quality indicators for time-sensitive foods.

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The Emergence of Edible and Food-Application Coatings for Food Packaging: A Review

Consumer awareness and demands for quality eco-friendly food products have made scientists determined to concentrate their attention on sustainable advancements in the utilization of bioactive compounds for increasing safety and food quality. Essential oils (EOs) are extracted from plants and exhibit antimicrobial (antibacterial and antifungal) activity; thus, they are used in food products to prolong the shelf-life of foods by limiting the growth or survival of microorganisms. In vitro studies have shown that EOs are effective against foodborne bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus. The growing interest in essential oils and their constituents as alternatives to synthetic preservatives has been extensively exploited in recent years, along with techniques to facilitate the implementation of their application in the food industry. This paper’s aim is to evaluate the current knowledge on the applicability of EOs in food preservation, and how this method generally affects technological properties and consumers’ perceptions. Moreover, essential aspects concerning the limitation of the available alternatives are highlighted, followed by a presentation of the most promising trends to streamline the EOs’ usability. Incorporating EOs in packaging materials is the next step for green and sustainable foodstuff production and a biodegradable method for food preservation.

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An Update on Effectiveness and Practicability of Plant Essential Oils in the Food Industry

An attempt was made to develop a bioactive edible film using carrageenan and A. vera gel for enhancing the storage quality of cheese using kalari, a popular Himalayan cheese, as a food-model system. The film was evaluated for various physicomechanical and oxidative properties (ABTS (2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate)) and DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activities, total flavonoid and phenolic contents). Based on preliminary trials, 1% A. vera gel was found to be optimum. The addition of the gel resulted in a significant decrease in moisture content, transparency, solubility, and water-vapor transmission rate and increased the thickness and density of the film. The film showed antimicrobial properties against E. coli and significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the lipid-oxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, free-fatty acids, and peroxide values) and increased microbial-quality (total-plate, psychrophilic, and yeast/molds) of the samples during 4-week refrigerated storage (4 ± 1 °C). The film also exhibited a significant positive impact on the sensory quality of the cheese, indicating the potential for commercial applications for quality control of cheese during storage.

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Aloe barbadensis Based Bioactive Edible Film Improved Lipid Stability and Microbial Quality of the Cheese

Nowadays, edible and eco-friendly packaging applications have been studied as an alternative to conventional/synthetic packaging due to the great interest of consumers in healthy, safe, and natural food, and of researchers in meeting the needs of consumers and producers. Various biopolymers are being extensively explored as potential materials for food packaging. The edible biopolymers utilized so far for packaging applications include proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides. Occasionally, these biopolymers have incorporated different bioactive substances to enhance the composite films’ characteristics. Gelatin and chitosan are two of the most important biopolymers for the production of films. Different biopolymers or bioactive substances have been incorporated into the matrix to enhance the gelatin-based and chitosan-based films. By incorporating other biopolymers and bioactive compounds, the composite films’ overall physicochemical and mechanical characteristics are improved. Additionally, by incorporating bioactive compounds (polyphenolic compounds, natural extracts, and essential oils), the composite films present important biological properties, such as antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.

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Recent Progress in Functional Edible Food Packaging Based on Gelatin and Chitosan

Conventional plastics have been widely applied in the food industry as packaging material because of their attractive characteristics, such as great mechanical resistance and moldability, as well as their highly cost-effective ratio. However, their use have negative impacts on the environment, including waste generation and pollution. Biodegradable and edible films produced from naturally available biomacromolecules have been seen as an alternative to synthetic polymers derived from petroleum in the development of food packaging. In this context, due to its rich composition and interesting bioactive properties, Spirulina has been considered a promising raw material for the production of multifunctional packaging materials. This article comprehensively reviews along it sections the state of the art in using Spirulina and phycocyanin to develop active and smart biodegradable and edible materials for application as food packaging, thus serving as a guide for researchers. Finally, the last section addresses recent trends and challenges related to the development of more environmentally friendly Spirulina-based packaging. Spirulina has been gaining prominence in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries because of its rich composition and bioactive properties. Thus, studies have been conducted to analyze its potential use as a biopolymer and source of bioactive compounds in the development of active and smart packaging systems so as to extend and monitor the shelf life of packaged foods. Although the results are promising, few studies in the literature elucidate its use, which justifies the need to expand and encourage this line of research. 

Spirulina application in food packaging: Gaps of knowledge and future trends

Food packaging is an important area of food research due to its prime role in the protection and containment of foodstuffs. Traditionally petroleum-derived polymers fulfill the lion's share of packaging material requirements. However, present-day consumers are more concerned about the environmental impact and health hazards of these synthetic polymers. This necessitates the requirement of alternative packaging material with unique biodegradable and renewable characteristics. The edible film is considered a solution to replace these synthetic plastics with naturally available bio-macromolecules such as polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids. An enormous number of researches have been carried out across the world to explore its full potential. Their findings need to be consolidated for further development of this trending research area. Therefore, this article comprehensively reviews previous research progresses, such as different film formulations from various sources and their characteristics and product applications to guide the enthusiastic researchers. Finally, the last section of this article elaborates on safety and regulation aspects as well as recent trends and challenges to tackle all the obstacles in establishing a greener packaging option. 

Pravitha M

Papers

Trends in Edible Packaging Films and its Prospective Future in Food: A Review