Natural Antimicrobials as Additives for Edible Food Packaging Applications: A Review.

Sneh Punia Bangar,Manoj Kumar,Monica Trif,Neha Thakur,Priyanka Kajla,Vandana Chaudhary

doi:10.3390/foods10102282

Abstract

Edible packaging is a swiftly emerging art of science in which edible biopolymers like lipids, polysaccharides, proteins, resins, etc., and other consumable constituents extracted from various non-conventional sources are used alone or imbibed together. Edible packaging with antimicrobial components had led to the development of the hypothesis of active packaging which safeguards the quality of foods as well as health of consumers. Natural antimicrobial agents (NAMAs) like essential oils from spices, bioactive compounds derived from vegetables and fruits, animal and microorganism derived compounds having antimicrobial properties can be potentially used in edible films as superior replcement for synthetic compounds, thus serving the purpose of quality and heath. Most of the natural antimicrobial agents enjoy GRAS status and are safer than their synthetic counterparts. This review focuses on updated literature on the sources, properties and potential applications of NAMAs in the food industry. This review also analyzes the biodegradability and biocompatibility and edibility properties of NAMAs enriched films and it can be concluded that NAMAs are better substitutes but affect the organoleptic as well as the mechanical properties of the films. Despite many advantages, the inclusion of NAMAs into the films needs to be investigated more to quantify the inhibitory concentration without affecting the properties of films and exerting potential antimicrobial action to ensure food safety.

Highlights

The addition of natural antimicrobial agents (NAMAs) to the film formulation makes these biodegradable films active in nature [6], which serve the purpose of protection and preservation
Since the application of films and coatings, including natural agents, is expanding due to their biodegradability and potency to enhance food safety, quality and shelf life, this review is to develop and to understand NAMAs, their use in edible films/coatings, method of manufacture, research done so far and materials developed using NAMAs with a special focus on their benefits, limitations and future prospects in the field of active edible packaging
This review explains the role of natural antimicrobials as additives in edible food packaging systems along with the sources of NAMAs, techniques of film formation and properties of films so formed

Summary

Introduction

The use of plastics in food packaging systems has led to an unprecedented increase in plastic pollution in the environment [2], which is projected to double globally by 2050 [3,4]. These two major challenges have led food technologists to develop the idea of antimicrobial films that beat the problem of both plastic pollution and antimicrobial resistance. The aim is to develop films that maintain food quality through various incorporated additives and ensure food safety by keeping the microbial count within the permissible limits [5]. Due to the overburdening of the environment by plastics, scientists are looking for sustainable and biopolymers to form edible films

Methods

Results

Conclusion