Advances in Food Technology: Bioactive Films and Coatings for Food Packaging

Dear Colleagues,

Because research is currently focused on determining the optimum choice of natural ingredients and sustainable packaging solutions, the minimization of artificial preservatives and synthetic packaging materials in the food preservation and packaging sector represents a vital task. The development and application of bioactive edible films and coatings represent advances towards solving these issues. Novel bioactive materials utilize the ability of natural biopolymers to serve as carriers of bioactive compounds in order to extend the shelf life of food while meeting the requirements for environmentally friendly packaging options.

Biopolymer-based edible films and coatings present sustainable alternatives to synthetic commercial packaging materials due to the availability and low cost of raw materials, which are commonly extracted from biomass or food industry by-products, as well as their competitive properties compared to synthetic polymers. It is particularly notable that their matrix can serve as a carrier of active components, which are gradually released during storage. Various antioxidants, antimicrobials, enzymes, and other functional ingredients that originate from plant material and agri-food waste are utilized to achieve active packaging. In addition to their antibacterial and antioxidant effects, bioactive agents may also interact with the structure of the biopolymer, thus leading to improvements in the other functional properties of edible films and coatings.

The development of bioactive edible films and coatings offers promising solutions for food packaging and storage via enhancements in the safety and shelf life of foods, in addition to fulfilling sustainable packaging requirements.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and reviews related to the following topics:

• The development of bioactive edible films or coatings;
• Natural active components for bioactive edible films and coatings;
• Application of bioactive edible films and coatings in food shelf-life studies;
• Development of mathematical models for shelf-life prediction of food packaged in bioactive edible films and coatings;
• Life cycle assessment of bioactive edible films and coatings.

Dr. Danijela Z. Šuput
Dr. Mia Kurek
Dr. Alena Stupar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.