Bioactive Food Packaging

This engineering book brings together two of the key strands in food packaging: active packaging and natural, often biobased, components. The text investigates the chemistry, effects and technical incorporation of bioactives into different forms of packaging. Specifically, chapters focus on techniques for impregnating natural substances into conventional and biodegradable food packaging materials with an emphasis on their antioxidant and antimicrobial functions. Oxygen scavengers, plant extracts, essential oils, enzymes, phytochemicals, polysaccharides are investigated. Chapters discuss how bioactives are combined with packaging to suppress microbes and improve the quality of meat, seafood, dairy and cereal products. How bioactives affect packaging development, such as scale-up, fabrication and labeling is discussed, as are European and US. regulations. Some of the highlights of the book include: Investigates migration, controlled release, edible coatings and films. Covers preservation and safety of many packaged foods.