A Review on Active Packaging: An Innovation in Food Packaging

Innovative packaging such as active packaging is the result of consumers demand for packaging that is more advanced and creative than what is currently offered. Active packaging aiming at extending shelf life or improving safety while maintaining quality is progressing towards the incorporation of natural active agents into more sustainable packaging materials. Depending on the requirements of packed food, the application of appropriate active packaging systems can significantly reduce food quality deterioration. Different active packaging systems are Oxygen scavengers, Carbon dioxide emitters and scavenger, Ethylene scavengers, Ethanol emitters, Moisture absorbers, Antimicrobial agents, Flavour/odour absorbers, Temperature-controlled packaging

Natural additives and agricultural wastes in biopolymer formulations for food packaging

The main directions in food packaging research are targeted toward improvements in food quality and food safety. For this purpose, food packaging providing longer product shelf-life, as well as the monitoring of safety and quality based upon international standards, is desirable. New active packaging strategies represent a key area of development in new multifunctional materials where the use of natural additives and/or agricultural wastes is getting increasing interest. The development of new materials, and particularly innovative biopolymer formulations, can help to address these requirements and also with other packaging functions such as: food protection and preservation, marketing and smart communication to consumers. The use of biocomposites for active food packaging is one of the most studied approaches in the last years on materials in contact with food. Applications of these innovative biocomposites could help to provide new food packaging materials with improved mechanical, barrier, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. From the food industry standpoint, concerns such as the safety and risk associated with these new additives, migration properties and possible human ingestion and regulations need to be considered. The latest innovations in the use of these innovative formulations to obtain biocomposites are reported in this review. Legislative issues related to the use of natural additives and agricultural wastes in food packaging systems are also discussed

Development of an intelligent bio-based packaging system

[Extrat] Currently there is a growing interest in the development of eco-efficient bio-based packaging, being active, smart and intelligent packaging the most highlighted among various innovations. Intelligent packaging has the ability to detect and mark, in real time, changes that might occur within the package/in the food product. Their main purpose is to help the consumer decide whether to buy a certain food product, ensuring that when it is bought it has not suffered significant changes influencing its quality and safety. (...

Characterization of pea starch-guar gum biocomposite edible films enriched by natural antimicrobial agents for active food packaging

Antimicrobial activity of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and two native Australian plants blueberry ash (BBA) fruit and macadamia (MAC) skin extracts against nine pathogenic and spoilage bacteria and seven strains of fungi, using an agar well diffusion assay were investigated. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of these compounds were calculated using 96-well microtiter plates method. Finally, active antimicrobial packaging films were prepared by incorporation of EGCG, BBA and MAC extracts at 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-fold of their correspondence MIC values into edible films based on pea starch and guar gum (PSGG). The antimicrobial activity of films was investigated against target microorganisms by agar disc diffusion technique and quantified using the viable cell count assay. Among the test microorganisms, Salmonella typhimurium and Rhizopus sp. were the most resistance to active films. Films containing EGCG showed the highest activity against all test strains. As the concentration of compounds increased higher than 2 × MIC, the mechanical characteristics of the films were affected considerably. The results indicated that EGCG-PSGG, BBA-PSGG and MAC-PSGG films can be used as active food packaging systems for preserving food safety and prolonging the shelf-life of the packaged food

Green tea as a promising extract of active food packaging

Introduction: Tea is one of the most popular and frequently consumed beverages in the world and its consumption dates back to more than 2000 years in China and then spread to other areas including Japan and later on to Europe (Zhao et al., 2014). Green tea is produced from Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze leaf infusion and is well known for its pleasant flavour and is associated with positive health effects. The biological activity of green tea is related with the considerable amount of catechins and other phenolic compounds, in particular flavonols and phenolic acids, present in its composition (Zhao et al., 2014). These phenolic compounds prevent the oxidative damage through their antioxidant activity and also reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases (Lorenzo et al., 2014). The process of oxidation is one of the most common mechanisms of degradation of foodstuffs and it can alter food texture and colour, decrease nutritional quality, develop off-odours and also produce possible toxic compounds. As a consequence, the shelf-life and commercial acceptability of the food products decrease. Currently, one of the major concerns of the consumers is the impact of food on health. In line with this, food industry is trying to substitute synthetic additives by natural compounds. These can be directly added to food or incorporated in food packaging with the aim of being controlled released throughout the product shelf life. This concept is so-called Active packaging and allows the packaging to positively interact with foods to increase food shelf-life. This interaction can be due to the intended release of compounds from packaging to the foods or to their headspace, or due to the scavenging of compounds by the packaging from the packaged foods. Due to the antioxidant capacity of green tea, its extract can be proposed as an alternative to synthetic antioxidants (Giménez et al., 2013). In fact, it has already been applied in active food packaging. Material and Methods: The present review focuses on the application of green tea extract in active packaging. In this regard, an extensive bibliographic research was carried out in order to evaluate the polymers already used to incorporate green tea extract, as well as the mechanical and barrier properties and efficiency of these packaging systems in contact with foods. Results and Discussion: The chemical composition of tea leaves on active compounds with antioxidant activity is well documented. Bioactive constituents of the tea leaves include catechin gallates such as epigallocatechin gallate and gallocatechin gallate (López de Dicastillo et al., 2011). However the levels of these compounds depend on many factors, such as the edaphoclimatic conditions and drying conditions of the Camellia sinensis leaves. Moreover the extraction and analysis methods can also have a great influence in their content. Green tea extract has already been incorporated into different polymers. In fact, most of them are edible such as proteic films from distilled dry beans (Yang et al., 2016), agar (Lacey et al., 2014), chitosan (Siripatrawan et al., 2012; Siripatrawan et al., 2010) and gelatine (Hong et al (2009). Green tea extract (GTE) can offers protection against oxidation, significantly reducing rancidity and thereby extending the shelf-life of packaged foods. Moreover the sensory analysis also demonstrated that packaged food was unaffected by GTE (Carrizo et al., 2016). According to Yang et al. (2016), the incorporation of the GTE did not alter the physical properties of the films. According to Siripatrawan et al. (2010), the incorporation of GTE improved the mechanical and water vapour barrier properties. In general, GTE provides a very positive impact in the reduction of oxidation of all types of food, from aqueous to fatty (López de Dicastillo et al., 2011), although most of the studies selected meat (e.g. pork, pork sausages, pork loins), or fish products (e.g. fillets of hake, salted sardines) to test the efficiency of the active films. Conclusion: Green tea has great potential of application in active food packaging due to its antioxidant capacity. Therefore, in the near future, is it possible that new food packaging based on GTE will arise in the market. However, more studies are require to elucidate about the concentrations of GTE that do not affect or affect positively the mechanical or barrier properties of the packaging and that are effective as oxidation inhibitors of packaged foodsThis work was supported by the research project “Development of methodologies for the evaluation of polymeric food packaging components and determination of their structural and mechanical properties” (2016DAN 1289) funded by the National Institute of Health Dr Ricardo Jorge, I.P., Lisbon, Portugal.N/

Prospective on the use of bacterial cellulose as an antimicrobial edible film

Food and beverage packaging has been the target of an intensive conceptual revolution in the past twenty years, moving further away from the mere passive barriers highly dependent on petrochemical-based raw materials. The recent trends of the state of the art food packages consist of smart packages that are preferentially green manufactured due to environmental concerns, and edible, making it more practical to consume and simultaneously minimizing the resultant waste. Some of these smart packages are able to diagnose and inform “in real-time” the consumer/retailer of the encased food’s quality (intelligent packaging). Other packages are responsible for an active interaction with the food or food’s atmosphere increasing the products shelf life, improving its organoleptic and/or health properties (active packaging). The food and beverage packaging market is estimated to represent 1 trillion dollars by 2015 in the United States alone, making this field of research an interesting area to explore.The main goal of this work is to produce a novel edible packaging film with antimicrobial properties. The purpose of including a food grade antimicrobial compound is to delay the growth of microbial flora and thus increasing the food’s safety and delaying its spoilage. For the packaging main raw material we have chosen the bacterial cellulose, which may represent an interesting alternative to the classic plastic casings, since this natural biopolymer possess a high toughness (Young’s modulus of approx. 15 - 35 GPa), a low density (1.25 g cm-3), a high crystallinity (95%), it is biocompatible, is highly pure (total absence of hemicelluloses and pectin’s), provides a high surface area for modification (37 m2g-1), and finally, its low cost. As food-grade antimicrobial compound we selected the lactoferrin, a bilobar iron binding glycoprotein with a widely reported bactericidal effect. Different approaches are being used to covalently bind the protein onto bacterial cellulose. The preliminary antimicrobial effectiveness of the modified bacterial cellulose films is assessed by inhibition halo tests

Safely dissolvable and healable active packaging films based on alginate and pectin

Extensive usage of long-lasting petroleum based plastics for short-lived application such as packaging has raised concerns regarding their role in environmental pollution. In this research, we have developed active, healable, and safely dissolvable alginate-pectin based biocomposites that have potential applications in food packaging. The morphological study revealed the rough surface of these biocomposite films. Tensile properties indicated that the fabricated samples have mechanical properties in the range of commercially available packaging films while possessing excellent healing effciency. Biocomposite films exhibited higher hydrophobicity properties compared to neat alginate films. Thermal analysis indicated that crosslinked biocomposite samples possess higher thermal stability in temperatures below 120 °C, while antibacterial analysis against E. coli and S. aureus revealed the antibacterial properties of the prepared samples against different bacteria. The fabricated biodegradable multi-functional biocomposite films possess various imperative properties, making them ideal for utilization as packaging material

Antimicrobial Activity of Biodegradable Polysaccharide and Protein-Based Films Containing Active Agents

Significant interest has emerged in the introduction of food packaging materials manufactured from biodegradable polymers that have the potential to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional packaging materials. Current technologies in active packaging enable effective antimicrobial (AM) packaging films to be prepared from biodegradable materials that have been modified and/or blended with different compatible materials and/or plasticisers. A wide range of AM films prepared from modified biodegradable materials have the potential to be used for packaging of various food products. This review examines biodegradable polymers derived from polysaccharides and protein-based materials for their potential use in packaging systems designed for the protection of food products from microbial contamination. A comprehensive table that systematically analyses and categorizes much of the current literature in this area is included in the review

Packaging shape and its relationship to the quality of drinking water

The necessity of an effective packaging technique is rapidly growing alongside the development of food preservation technologies. Current packaging techniques, such as active packaging and intelligent packaging, in addition to the preservation techniques such as drying, freezing, smoking and chemical preservatives provide great solutions to extend food shelf life. Nevertheless, they have disadvantages related to cost, undesired effects on food and short or long term negative effects on human health, therefore a top priority in food sciences has been the elucidation of alternative, less stringent techniques. Applying the shape effect technique in food packaging combines preservation, packaging and water treatment in one process and is poised to be a safe, low cost, sustainable and innovative packaging solutions in the food industry. Halal production process should be an integrated processes from farm to fork, to produce not only food that is ritually blessed but must be wholesome, healthy, safe, clean, nutritious, quality and not harmful which means Tayyib. Shape effect is the enhanced energy fields generated inside some models of geometrical shapes, such as pyramid shape. This energy come from the interaction between packaging shape, the stored biological material and the surrounded electromagnetic radiation. There are many sources of electromagnetic radiation for example radio and television broadcasting stations, Wi-Fi antennas and mobile phone base stations. Tow electromagnetic simulation techniques FDTD and FEM were used to explain this interaction. What was found is that the peak level of electric and magnetic fields induced in water stored in pyramid-shaped container was higher than the peak level of the fields induced in water stored in the other containers. The effect of these energy fields on the physicochemical and microbiological parameters of water was determined by using the standard methods and on the molecular structure of water by using O-17 NMR. The results showed improvement in the quality of water stored in pyramid shaped container compared to the water stored in the other containers