ABSTRACT
Food security has become a major issue; hence the introduction of active and bioactive packaging, particularly antimicrobial food packaging, could play a role in food safety and security assurance. Packaging plays an important role in the whole food chain “from the field to the consumers’ tables.” Furthermore, food packaging has developed strongly during recent years, mainly due to the increased demands on product safety, shelf-life extension, cost efficiency, environmental issues, and consumer convenience. A greater emphasis on safety features associated with the addition of functional active agents and natural, often bio-based components used for food packaging explains the current development in bioactive packaging technology. Active films can be considered an evolution in food packaging since these interact with food by releasing some substance or absorbing at a constant rate over time, and improve food quality and safety.
