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Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2024 | Viewed by 4706

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mariana Andrade

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Guest Editor

Department of Food and Nutrition, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: food quality and technology

Dr. Ana Teresa Sanches-Silva

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Guest Editor

National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinary Research, Rua dos Lágidos, Lugar da Madalena, 4485-655 Vila do Conde, Portugal
Interests: food and food packaging analysis; food bioactives; food contaminants; mycotoxins; food packaging migration; development and validation of analytical methods for the determination of food components and food contaminants; mass spectrometry applied to food analysis; development of active packaging with antioxidant properties; edible packaging
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The purpose of food packaging has evolved since it was created during the 19th century. Beginning as a way to preserve and facilitate the transportation of food, today, it is a method of communication with the consumer, being used to present the nutritional label, ingredients list, and possible allergens; it is also a key marketing tool. Differentiated from the traditional concept of food packaging, the main goal of active food packaging is to interact with the packaged food, prolonging its shelf life, assuring food safety.

This Special Issue of Foods aims to present recent advancements in active food packaging. Original research articles and reviews on recent studies involving the application of active food packaging and new methods to measure the oxidation and safety of foods are welcome.

Dr. Mariana Andrade
Dr. Ana Sanches Silva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

active packaging
shelf life
food safety
food waste
sustainable packaging
lipid oxidation
biopolymers

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 4888 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation, Characterization and Application of Active Food Packaging Films Based on Sodium Alginate and Twelve Varieties of Mandarin Peel Powder

by Dawei Yun and Jun Liu

Foods 2024, 13(8), 1174; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods13081174 - 12 Apr 2024

Viewed by 662

Abstract

The industrial processing of mandarin fruits yields a large amount of peel waste, resulting in economic losses and environmental pollution. The peels of mandarin fruits are a good source of biomass and active substances that can be used to produce food packaging systems. In this study, active food packaging films were prepared based on sodium alginate and twelve varieties of mandarin peel powder. The structures, properties, and corn oil packaging performance of the films were compared. Results showed that the twelve varieties of mandarin peel powder differed in pectin, lipid, protein, crude fiber, and total phenol contents. The prepared films all exhibited a yellow color, 117.73–152.45 μm thickness, 16.39–23.62% moisture content, 26.03–90.75° water contact angle, 5.38–8.31 × 10⁻¹¹ g m⁻¹ s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ water vapor permeability, 5.26–12.91 × 10⁻²⁰ m² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ oxygen permeability, 4.87–7.90 MPa tensile strength, and 13.37–24.62% elongation at break. Notably, the films containing mandarin peel powder with high pectin and lipid contents showed high moisture/oxygen barrier ability and mechanical properties. The films containing mandarin peel powder with high total phenol content exhibited high antioxidant- and antimicrobial-releasing abilities and good performance in delaying corn oil oxidation. Overall, the results suggested that the films have good application potential in active food packaging. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization)

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18 pages, 4453 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Functional pH-Sensitive Film Containing Purple Sweet Potato Anthocyanins for Pork Freshness Monitoring and Cherry Preservation

by Fahui Ke, Duanwu Liu, Juanjuan Qin and Min Yang

Foods 2024, 13(5), 736; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods13050736 - 28 Feb 2024

Viewed by 776

Abstract

An antioxidative and pH-sensitive multifunctional film, incorporating anthocyanin-rich purple sweet potato extract (PPE) was fabricated from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA)/sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na). The film was composed of 6:4 PVA:SA/CMC-Na (mass ratio, SA:CMC-Na at 1:1) with added PPE, and changed color with changes in pH, and also had useful UV-blocking, antioxidant, mechanical, and water vapor barrier properties, which enable its use as a food coating film. In addition, the incorporation of 300 mg PPE increased the biodegradability of the film in soil from 52.47 ± 1.12% to 64.29 ± 1.75% at 17 days. The pH sensitivity of the film enabled its successful use for the evaluation of pork freshness. Cherries coated with the film had an extended shelf life from 3–4 to 7–9 days, during storage at 25 °C. Consequently, the multifunctional film can be applied to packaging for real-time pH/freshness monitoring and for effectively preserving the freshness of meat and fruit. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization)

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Graphical abstract

16 pages, 11857 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Active Low-Density Polyethylene-Based Films by Incorporating α-Tocopherol in the Free State and Loaded in PLA Nanoparticles: A Comparative Study

by Ana G. Azevedo, Carolina Barros, Sónia Miranda, Ana V. Machado, Olga S. Carneiro, Bruno Silva, Mariana A. Andrade, Fernanda Vilarinho, Margarida Saraiva, Ana Sanches Silva, Lorenzo M. Pastrana and Miguel A. Cerqueira

Foods 2024, 13(3), 475; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods13030475 - 02 Feb 2024

Viewed by 988

Abstract

In this work, alpha-tocopherol (α-TOC) was encapsulated in poly(lactic acid) nanoparticles (PLA NPs) and added to low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films with the aim of producing an active film for food packaging applications. PLA NPs loaded with α-TOC were produced through nanoprecipitation and dried using two methods (freeze-dryer and oven). LDPE-based films with final polymeric matrix concentrations of 10 and 20 g/kg were then produced through blow extrusion. The results showed that LDPE-based films loaded with α-TOC can be produced using blow extrusion, and a good distribution of PLA NPs can be obtained within the LDPE matrix as observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties were affected by the incorporation of α-TOC and PLA NPs loaded with α-TOC, with the observation of a decrease in tensile strength and Young’s Modulus values and an increase in elongation at break. Regarding water vapor permeability, the films showed a reduction in the values with the addition of α-TOC and PLA NPs loaded with α-TOC compared to the LDPE film (control). Films with α-TOC in the free state and loaded in PLA NPs showed antioxidant activity, but their behavior was affected by the encapsulation process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization)

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16 pages, 4535 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gellan Gum and Polyvinyl Alcohol Based Triple-Layer Films Enriched with Alhagi sparsifolia Flower Extract: Preparation, Characterization, and Application of Dried Shrimp Preservation

by Yijing Yue, Xiaoyu Cheng, Haijie Liu, Mingwu Zang, Bing Zhao, Xin Zhao and Le Wang

Foods 2023, 12(21), 3979; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods12213979 - 31 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1104

Abstract

To meet the demand for biobased packaging and minimize the oxidation of dried aquatic goods during storage, we created a triple-layer film (TF) with antioxidant capacity. The film was produced using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the protective layer, gellan gum (GG)/PVA composite incorporating Alhagi sparsifolia flower extract (AFE) as the anti-oxidative capability layer, and GG as the anti-oxidative capacity slow-release control layer. The TFs with different AFE additions were characterized and compared to a single-layer film (SF) made of the same material. The results demonstrate that adding AFE to films degraded their water vapour and oxygen barrier properties as well as their tensile strength, but increased their light barrier properties, elongation at break, and anti-oxidative capability. The three-layer structure increased the light, water vapour, and oxygen barrier qualities of films, as well as their slow-release anti-oxidative capability. The application experiment revealed that the inclusion of AFE might aid in the preservation of dried prawn quality. Using TF supplemented with 5 (w/v) AFE to package the dried shrimps reduced the TBARS value by 47.5%. Our research indicated that TFs containing AFE have a wide range of possible applications in dried shrimp preservation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization)

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Review

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17 pages, 870 KiB

Open AccessReview

Application of Plant Oils as Functional Additives in Edible Films and Coatings for Food Packaging: A Review

by Hooman Chodar Moghadas, Ruchi Chauhan and J. Scott Smith

Foods 2024, 13(7), 997; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods13070997 - 25 Mar 2024

Viewed by 818

Abstract

Increasing environmental concerns over using petroleum-based packaging materials in the food industry have encouraged researchers to produce edible food packaging materials from renewable sources. Biopolymer-based edible films and coatings can be implemented as bio-based packaging materials for prolonging the shelf life of food products. However, poor mechanical characteristics and high permeability for water vapor limit their practical applications. In this regard, plant oils (POs) as natural additives have a high potential to overcome certain shortcomings related to the functionality of edible packaging materials. In this paper, a summary of the effects of Pos as natural additives on different properties of edible films and coatings is presented. Moreover, the application of edible films and coatings containing POs for the preservation of different food products is also discussed. It has been found that incorporation of POs could result in improvements in packaging’s barrier, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. Furthermore, the incorporation of POs could significantly improve the performance of edible packaging materials in preserving the quality attributes of various food products. Overall, the current review highlights the potential of POs as natural additives for application in edible food packaging materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization)

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