Application of Essential Oils on Active Packaging Systems

Abstract

Millions tons of food waste are annually generated, causing serious environmental problems. Indeed, the degradation of food quality occurs naturally due to its vulnerability to biochemical reactions such as protein degradation, lipid oxidation, and microbiogical attacks. This huge waste mass can be minimized throughout the food supply chain by many methods including increasing the shelf life of products. Therefore, active food packaging, which not only contains and protects food but also interacts with packaged products, is used. Nevertheless, the migration process, which is defined by the transfer of chemical compounds from the food packaging to the food, may cause changes in the food product quality and safety. Active packaging can contain several additives, allowing them to have antibacterial, antioxidant activities, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ethylene scavengers, carbon dioxide emitters, odor emitters and absorbers, relative humidity regulators antibacterial antioxidants. Essential oils (EOs) are popular for their natural antimicrobial and antioxidant properties that are increasing consumer demand due to the perception of their ‘safer’ natural origin. The purpose of this chapter is to study the incorporation of EOs in the active packaging formulation.