Novel Food Packaging Techniques

This study reviews recent advancements in food science and technology, analyzing their impact on the development of intelligent food packaging within the complex food supply chain. Modern food technology has brought about intelligent food packaging, which includes sensors, indicators, data carriers, and artificial intelligence. This innovative packaging helps monitor food quality and safety. These innovations collectively aim to establish an unbroken chain of food safety, freshness, and traceability, from production to consumption. This research explores the components and technologies of intelligent food packaging, focusing on key indicators like time–temperature indicators, gas indicators, freshness indicators, and pathogen indicators to ensure optimal product quality. It further incorporates various types of sensors, including gas sensors, chemical sensors, biosensors, printed electronics, and electronic noses. It integrates data carriers such as barcodes and radio-frequency identification to enhance the complexity and functionality of this system. The review emphasizes the growing influence of artificial intelligence. It looks at new advances in artificial intelligence that are driving the development of intelligent packaging, making it better at preserving food freshness and quality. This review explores how modern food technologies, especially artificial intelligence integration, are revolutionizing intelligent packaging for food safety, quality, reduced waste, and enhanced traceability.

The active packaging materials fabricated using natural polymers is increasing in recent years. Electrohydrodynamic processing has drawn attention in active food packaging due to its potential in fabricating materials with advanced structural and functional properties. These materials have the significant capability in enhancing food's quality, safety, and shelf-life. Through electrospinning and electrospray, fibers and particles are encapsulated with bioactive compounds for active packaging applications. Understanding the principle behind electrohydrodynamics provides fundamentals in modulating the material's physicochemical properties based on the operating parameters. This review provides a deep understanding of electrospray and electrospinning, along with their advantages and recent innovations, from food packaging perspectives. The natural polymers suitable for developing active packaging films and coatings through electrohydrodynamics are intensely focused. The critical properties of the packaging system are discussed with characterization techniques. Furthermore, the limitations and prospects for natural polymers and electrohydrodynamic processing in active packaging are summarized.

Food packaging is designed to protect foods, to provide required information about the food, and to make food handling convenient for distribution to consumers. Packaging has a crucial role in the process of food quality, safety, and shelf-life extension. Possible interactions between food and packaging are important in what is concerning food quality and safety. This review tries to offer a picture of the most important types of active packaging emphasizing the controlled/target release antimicrobial and/or antioxidant packaging including system design, different methods of polymer matrix modification, and processing. The testing methods for the appreciation of the performance of active food packaging, as well as mechanisms and kinetics implied in active compounds release, are summarized. During the last years, many fast advancements in packaging technology appeared, including intelligent or smart packaging (IOSP), (i.e., time–temperature indicators (TTIs), gas indicators, radiofrequency identification (RFID), and others). Legislation is also discussed.

Novel food packaging technologies arose as a result of consumer’s desire for convenient, ready to eat, tasty and mild processed food products with extended shelf life and maintained quality. Recent trend of lifestyle changes with less time for consumers to prepare foods posed a great challenge toward food packaging sector for the evolution of novel and innovative food packaging techniques. The novel food packaging techniques, viz. active packaging, intelligent packaging and bio active packaging which involve intentional interaction with the food or its surroundings and influence on consumer’s health have been the major innovations in the field of packaging technology. These novel techniques act by prolonging the shelf life, enhancing or maintaining the quality, providing indication and to regulate freshness of food product. The advancement in novel food packaging technologies involves retardation in oxidation, hindered respiratory process, prevention of microbial attack, prevention of moisture infusion, use of CO2 scavengers/emitters, ethylene scavengers, aroma emitters, time-temperature sensors, ripeness indicators, biosensors and sustained release of antioxidants during storage. The novel food packaging technologies besides the basic function of containment increase the margin of food quality and safety. The novel food packaging techniques thus help in fulfilling the demands throughout the food supply chain by gearing up toward persons own lifestyle. The main objectives of this review article are to provide basic knowledge of different new and innovative food packaging techniques about their way of preservative action, effectiveness and suitability in various types of foods.

Food industries attempt to introduce a new food packaging by blending essential oils (EOs) into the polymeric matrix as an active packaging, which has great ability to preserve the quality of food and increase its shelf life by releasing active compounds within storage. The main point in designing the active packaging is controlled-release of active substances for their enhanced activity. Biopolymers are functional substances, which suggest structural integrity to sense external stimuli like temperature, pH, or ionic strength. The controlled release of EOs from active packaging and their stimuli-responsive properties can be very important for practical applications of these novel biocomposites. EOs can affect the uniformity of the polymeric matrix and physical and structural characteristics of the composites, such as moisture content, solubility in water, water vapor transmission rate, elongation at break, and tensile strength. To measure the ingredients of EOs and their migration from food packaging, chromatographic methods can be used. A head-space-solid phase micro-extraction coupled to gas chromatography (HS-SPME-GC–MS) technique is as a good process for evaluating the release of Eos. Therefore, the aims of this review were to evaluate the qualitative characteristics, release profile, and stimuli-responsiveness of active and smart food packaging nanocomposites loaded with essential oils and developing such multi-faceted packaging for advanced applications.

Chapter 20 - Active nanoenabled packaging for the beverage industry

Active and intelligent packaging systems for a modern society

A great technological development for food packaging has been developed over the past few decades to satisfy consumer demands relating to more natural forms of preservation, and methods to control packaging and storage for assurance and food safety. Active packaging is, certainly, one of the most important innovations in this field. Active packages are designed to perform a role other than to provide an inert barrier between the product and the outside environment, using the possible interactions between food and package in a positive way to improve product quality and acceptability. Active food packaging is a heterogeneous concept involving a wide range of possibilities which globally can be grouped in two main goals: (i) to extend shelf life, and (ii) to facilitate processing and consumption of foods. In the first case, active packaging solutions include the systems studied to control the mechanisms of deterioration inside the package (i.e. oxygen scavengers, moisture absorbers or antimicrobial agents). In relation to the second goal, active packaging allows us to match the package to the properties of the food, to reduce costs of processing, or even to perform some processing operations in-package or to control the product history and quality. This paper reviews the different applications of active packaging and their commercial use, together with some legal aspects and future trends.

Preservative packaging of meat and meat products should maintain acceptable appearance, odour and flavour and should delay the onset of microbial spoilage. Typically fresh red meats are placed on trays and over-wrapped with an oxygen permeable film or alternatively, meats are stored in modified atmosphere packages (MAP) containing high levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide (80% O2:20% CO2) (Georgala & Davidson, 1970). Cooked meats are usually stored in 70% N2:30% CO2 (Smiddy, Papkovsky, & Kerry, 2002). The function of oxygen in MAP is to maintain acceptable fresh meat colour and carbon dioxide inhibits the growth of spoilage bacteria (Seideman & Durland, 1984). Nitrogen is used as an inert filler gas either to reduce the proportions of the other gases or to maintain the pack shape (Bell & Bourke, 1996). High oxygen levels promote the oxidation of muscle lipids over time with deleterious effects on fresh meat colour and quality (O’Grady et al., 1998). In cooked meat products (e.g. cured ham) low residual levels of oxygen promote pigment denaturation which imposes a dull greyness to the meat surface (Moller, Jensen, Olsen, Skibsted, & Bertelsen, 2000). Commercially, this problem is overcome with the use of an oxygen scavenger. Oxygen scavengers are examples of entities described as ‘active packaging components’. Smart packaging is a broad term encompassing a range of new packaging concepts, most of which can be placed in one of the two principle categories: active packaging and intelligent packaging. Active packaging refers to the incorporation of certain additives into packaging systems (loose within the pack, attached to the inside of packaging material or incorporated into the packaging material) with the aim of maintaining or extending product quality and shelf life. Packaging may be termed active when it performs some desired role in food preservation other than providing an inert barrier to external conditions (Hutton, 2003). Active packaging has been defined as packaging which ‘changes the condition of the packed food to extend shelf-life or to improve safety or sensory properties, while maintaining the

Food waste is a barrier to the development of sustainable food systems, and a large portion of it occurs at the household level. Household food waste can be decreased by using appropriate packaging. Despite the high rate of food waste in US households, little is known about how packaging affects this. This study assessed US consumers’ awareness of how structural packaging designs and technologies affect food freshness and their willingness to purchase and to pay extra for packaging designed to reduce household food waste. To gather data, 1000 US consumers were surveyed online. Responses were analyzed overall and by population segments. The impacts of only 3 out of 15 structural packaging designs on maintaining food freshness were known by >50% of consumers. Regarding packaging technologies, while 78% of consumers knew about the impact of vacuum packaging on maintaining food freshness, just 27.6, 23, and 16% knew how modified atmosphere packaging, active packaging, and aseptic packaging affected food freshness. Only 32% of consumers knew that intelligent packaging provides information on food freshness. Just 9% of consumers recognized that foods in plastic pouches and cans possess the same food freshness. Approximately 91% of consumers will always/sometimes buy food in most of the above packaging technologies after learning about them. Half were willing to pay more for food in packages that reduce household food waste, and 40% may. Differences (p ≤ 0.05) and two-way interactions were observed between population segments. This study’s findings can help develop new packaging, education campaigns, and policies to reduce household food waste in the US.

Packaging is considered essential for protecting food from spoilage and enhancing food safety. Synthetic, petrochemical-derived plastics are commonly utilized, but improper use and inadequate recycling have resulted in severe environmental impacts and have imposed serious health risks. To address these concerns, biopolymer-based plastics with active and intelligent functions have been increasingly emphasized in the field of food science, with the goal of improving food safety and reducing packaging waste. In this context, gluten, a protein-based biopolymer, could be useful alternative to synthetic polymer and as well as an emerging tactic to fabricate edible and sustainable active and intelligent packaging. Eventhough there are only few article published on gluten-based packaging but yet it received significant attention to the researcher recently. No review comprehensively elucidated the potential of gluten in smart packaging application. This review primarily focuses on the advances in gluten in active and intelligent packaging film. The chemistry, properties, and source of gluten are briefly introduced and followed by the fabrication, characteristics, and properties of active and intelligent system. Gluten-based active and intelligent packaging used to maintain and monitoring various food products while they are being stored are discussed and then, the challenges and future scope of this packaging are debated. It has been demonstrated that gluten may be utilized to create functional smart food packaging. Active and intelligent packaging film/coatings can be developed by mixing gluten and other biopolymers with active ingredients. Gluten-based films and coatings have been shown to be effective in extending shelf-life and enabling real-time monitoring of spoilage in both fresh and processed foods.

Polymers for Modified Atmosphere Packaging Applications

Recent developments of materials for food packaging have been attempted to utilize biodegradable materials such as nanochitosan. The composite film of nanochitosan can be synthesized with various suitable materials. In this particular study, nanochitosan was paired with polyethylene glycol (PEG) because PEG has the ability to strengthen nanochitosan film. This study aims to determine the characteristics of nanochitosan and nanochitosan-PEG in an effort to develop smart edible film designed to monitor food freshness. Several stages had been conducted, it all began with the synthesis of nanochitosan and nanochitosan-PEG. The samples of nanochitosan-PEG were conditioned consecutively with various PEG concentrations of 1, 1.5 and 2 %. Nanochitosan and nanochitosan-PEG were characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Particle Size Analyzer (PSA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) spectrophotometer, while stability was tested with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The results of FTIR interpretation showed the functional groups like -OH, -NH, C=O carboxylate, P=O, and C-O-C. These functional groups featured a fairly sharp absorption peak implying the characteristic of PEG. The PSA test revealed that the nanochitosan-PEG 2 % obtained the smallest particle size. The treatment of time variations was required to react the nanochitosan-PEG 2 % with the ionic gelation method within 30, 60, and 120 min. After a 2-hour reaction, the smallest size particle reached 9.78 nm with a polydispersity index value of 0.021. The morphology of samples in the SEM test showed non-uniform spherical aggregates. The film yield proceeded to use on chicken meat for indicating the meat’s freshness. It took 48 h signifying a decline of protein content from 18.30 to 15.86 % as the film experienced a color change from purple to green according to the pH level of the decaying meat. This suggests that the film is smart and reliable to monitor food freshness through visual pH changes. HIGHLIGHTS The potential of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and nanochitosan composites as a smart food packaging is a novelty of this research. Until now, most of crosslinkers to nanochitosan only uses citric acid and acetic acid. As the result, the citric acid-crosslinked chitosan (CsC) has rigid and brittle film which means it’s prone to cracking. To overcome this issue, the addition of PEG is important to reduce the brittleness of the film because PEG acts as a binder. This research suggests that smart food packaging can be obtained from PEG-chitosan with the anthocyanin extract that functions as a food preservation detector. This research introduces the novel potential of PEG and nanochitosan composites as smart food packaging materials, addressing the limitations of traditional crosslinkers like citric acid and acetic acid. While citric acid-crosslinked nanochitosan film tends to be rigid, brittle, and prone to cracking, PEG functions as a binder in smart packaging, enhancing flexibility and reducing brittleness. The study suggests that PEG-chitosan composites combined with anthocyanin extract can serve as a food preservation detector, adding an intelligent detection feature to smart packaging applications. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Many food products are sensitive to oxygen which can promote rancidity, aerobic microorganism growth, browning, vitamin degradation, flavor loss, and other undesirable reactions. Active packaging concepts have been successfully applied to delay these deteriorative phenomena. In particular, oxygen scavengers help limit O2 ingress into packaging thus extending product shelf-life and thereby reducing food waste. Besides oxygen barrier polymers, other composite materials have been developed to reduce the overall O2 permeability into the package by adding oxygen scavengers or barrier fillers into the packaging structures. Typical thermoplastic food packaging barrier properties are summarized, including commercially available ones, and reported in the patent literature. Furthermore, various mathematical models have been developed to predict the oxygen transport behavior in active packaging to simulate oxygen transport in polymeric and composite materials. Such models are helpful to provide a better understanding of the mass transport fundamentals involved and shorten product development cycle time and cost. This review provides an overview of various oxygen absorber systems used in active food packaging. It also summarizes the mathematical models that simulate oxygen transport and absorption in different polymer films. Finally, these models can be adapted for other polymers and O2 scavengers to simulate O2 transfer on active polymeric materials. Simulation tools help the fundamental understanding of the O2 transport behavior and facilitate to developing novel active packaging systems that extend food shelf-life and enhance their safety.

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