ABSTRACT
The food industry is looking for environmentally friendly technologies and sustainable food production to address expectations from consumers and regulatory agencies and, at the same time, project the best possible image in a very competitive environment. In this context, new packaging techniques have been introduced to replace or complement existing techniques. Edible lms and coatings offer an alternative to commercial packaging practices, and they are receiving attention from the food industry because they offer some appealing advantages. Edible lms and coatings are applied to food mainly to improve quality and to extend shelf life by protecting against contamination and thus, providing biochemical and microbial surface stability by acting as a barrier to moisture, oxygen and other gases, fats, and oils and as a carrier for active compounds such as antioxidants, antimicrobial and avoring agents, pigments, and nutrients. While maintaining product freshness and its quality attributes, physical and sensory properties are also expected to be improved by the use of these covers (Pascall and Lin 2013, Pavlath and Orts 2009).
