Active packaging technologies can extend the shelf life of foods and provide benefits to both manufacturers and consumers. Avariety of packaging technologies are being developed to provide consumers with high-quality, minimally processed foods that have a long shelf life. Among these technologies in which packaging plays an active role in protecting fresh or minimally processed foods are edible moisture barriers to prevent moisture loss of fresh-cut vegetables and fruits; edible oxygen barriers to stop enzymatic browning; ethylene scavengers to slow senescence; oxygen scavengers to create a low-oxygen atmosphere and slow metabolism; zeolite surface films to inactivate microbial growth on the food surface; tuned infrared films that radiate energy to inactivate microbes; sachets and edible films that transmit microbial inhibitors such as ethanol or sorbate; and films that scalp or scavenge off-odors.
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