Smart Packaging Based on Polylactic Acid: The Effects of Antibacterial and Antioxidant Agents from Natural Extracts on Physical–Mechanical Properties, Colony Reduction, Perishable Food Shelf Life, and Future Prospective

Abstract

Changes in consumer lifestyles have raised awareness of a variety of food options and packaging technologies. Active and smart packaging is an innovative technology that serves to enhance the safety and quality of food products like fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat. Smart packaging, as a subset of this technology, entails the integration of additives into packaging materials, thereby facilitating the preservation or extension of product quality and shelf life. This technological approach stimulates a heightened demand for safer food products with a prolonged shelf life. Active packaging predominantly relies on the utilization of natural active substances. Therefore, the combination of active substances has a significant impact on the characteristics of active packaging, particularly on polymeric blends like polylactic acid (PLA) as a matrix. Therefore, this review will summarize how the addition of natural active agents influences the performance of smart packaging through systematic analysis, providing new insights into the types of active agents on physical–mechanical properties, colony reduction, and its application in foods. Through their integration, the market for active and smart packaging systems is expected to have a bright future.

Structure, Properties, and Recent Developments in Polysaccharide- and Aliphatic Polyester-Based Packaging—A Review

“…The film exhibited a reduction in browning reactions and extended the shelf-life of avocados by 1.3 days at 23 • C and 5.4 days at 4 • C, with O 2 properties and antimicrobial effects [186]. Further, more research on PLA-based intelligent food packaging materials with different natural antibacterial and antioxidant agents; their mechanical, physical, and antimicrobial properties; and the shelf-life extension of perishables was reviewed by Nasution and co-authors [187].…”

Properties of active packaging of PLA-PCL film integrated with chitosan as an antibacterial agent and syzygium cumini seed extract as an antioxidant agent

“…Also known as smart packaging, active packaging is designed to detect and warn of food spoilage [ 1 ]. This system utilizes humidity, time, temperature, freshness, spoilage, and biosensors to ensure food safety ([ 2 , 3 ]). Microbiological reactions or developments that occur over time due to the interaction of metabolites produced by microbial growth and chemicals provide visual signals and information about food degradation [ 4 ].…”

Improvement in Crystallization, Thermal, and Mechanical Properties of Flexible Poly(L-lactide)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lactide) Bioplastic with Zinc Phenylphosphate

“…Poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) derived from renewable resources, such as starch-rich crops and sugarcane, is an important biodegradable bioplastic alternative to petroleum-based plastics because of its good biodegradability, biocompatibility, and processability, and also because it is the cheapest biodegradable bioplastic [1][2][3]. PLLA has been applied for use in biomedical applications [4][5][6], agriculture [7], sport [8], and packaging [9][10][11][12]. However, the low flexibility of PLLA has restricted its practical use and wider applications [3,13].…”