Antimicrobial efficiency of edible films in food industry

Abstract

In the current article, several applications of materials in food packaging and food safety are reviewed, including: Polymers as high barrier packaging materials, natural substances as potent antimicrobial agents, and the efficiency of antimicrobial films in food industry. The first condition of all this materials in order to be utilised in food industry is to fall into the list of generally accepted as food grade. Active antimicrobial food packaging systems are supposed not only to passively protect food products against environmental factors, but also to inhibit or retard microbial growth on the food surface, extending the shelf life of products. Edible films can be incorporated into conventional food packaging systems with a dual purpose as an edible and antimicrobial component. Several benefits resulting from the application of the antimicrobial films, embedded with various natural antimicrobials, on different food products as fruits, vegetables and meat products lead to various benefits as maintaining the products freshness for longer time, extend product shelf life and reduce the risk of pathogen growth. Thus, food graded antimicrobial packaging films are promising food packaging materials because its biodegradability provides sustainable development for modern community by reducing the use of drugs as chemical antibiotics, reducing economic losses and overall increases the trust of the final consumer in food products.