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Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization—2nd Edition
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Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization—2nd Edition

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 20000

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mariana Andrade

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food and Nutrition, National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: food quality and technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Teresa Sanches-Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pharmacy Faculty, University of Coimbra, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: sustainable food packaging; active food packaging; chromatography; mass spectrometry; extracts from food by-products; food Contaminants; food bioactives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The first volume of this Special Issue (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/foods/special_issues/N65G4L2JT6) was a great success and gained the attention and interest of many scholars. I would like to take the opportunity here to thank them for their contributions and support. As the topic continues to attract the attention of scholars and play a pivotal role in this area of research, we are looking forward to the launch of the second volume of this Special Issue.

The purpose of food packaging has evolved since it was created during the 19th century. Beginning as a way to preserve and facilitate the transportation of food, today it is a method of communication with the consumer, being used to present the nutritional label, ingredients list, and possible allergens; it is also a key marketing tool. Differentiated from the traditional concept of food packaging, the main goal of active food packaging is to interact with the packaged food, prolonging its shelf life and assuring food safety.

This Special Issue of Foods aims to present recent advancements in active food packaging. Original research articles and reviews on recent studies involving the application of active food packaging and new methods to measure the oxidation and safety of foods are welcome.

Dr. Mariana Andrade
Dr. Ana Teresa Sanches-Silva
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. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2900 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.

Keywords

  • active packaging
  • shelf life
  • food safety
  • food waste
  • sustainable packaging
  • lipid oxidation
  • biopolymers

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 3139 KB  
Article
Alginate–Arabinoxylan Composite Films with Enhanced Mechanical Strength and Functional Properties for Potential Food Packaging Use
by Gargi Dandegaonkar, Ali Nawaz, Parikshit Goswami and Chenyu Du
Foods 2026, 15(6), 1035; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15061035 - 16 Mar 2026
Viewed by 673
Abstract
The concern about plastic pollution drives the exploration of sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging materials. Alginate is a renewable, edible feedstock extracted from seaweed, which has been used for preparing edible biofilms. The major limiting factor in alginate biofilms wider application is that [...] Read more.
The concern about plastic pollution drives the exploration of sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging materials. Alginate is a renewable, edible feedstock extracted from seaweed, which has been used for preparing edible biofilms. The major limiting factor in alginate biofilms wider application is that it is relatively weak in strength. This study explored a novel alginate composite biofilm prepared using alginate and maize bran derived arabinoxylans. In comparison with alginate alone, adding 2.5% w/w maize arabinoxylans increased the tensile strength of the film by 3.1 times. Using an optimized composition (2.5% alginate, 1% glycerol and 1.5% maize arabinoxylans), the tensile strength and elongation of the biofilm increased to 4.9 and 3.0 times that of alginate only biofilm to 6.88 ± 0.06 MPa and to 96.4 ± 9.9%, respectively. Interestingly, the water-holding capacity of biofilm increased from 5.5 times weight of water for 5 min for alginate alone biofilm to 27.6 times the weight of water for 50 min. When 0.5% clove essential oil was incorporated into the composite film, the biofilm exhibited excellent anti-microbial property, keeping raw meat free of bacteria for five days in both refrigerated and open environments. These results indicate that the alginate-based bio-composite film is a promising candidate for food packaging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization—2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 3764 KB  
Article
Selective Permeability of Volatile Organic Compounds in Candelilla Wax Edible Films
by Samuel Macario Padilla-Jiménez, Jose Manuel Oregel-Zamudio, Sergio Arias-Martínez, Jesús Rubén Torres-García and Ernesto Oregel-Zamudio
Foods 2026, 15(2), 233; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15020233 - 9 Jan 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 750
Abstract
This study screens the permeability of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through edible films made of candelilla wax and guar gum, offering new insights into their role as aroma and moisture barriers. Four formulations (0.2–0.4% wax, 0.4–0.8% gum, and 0.2–0.3% glycerol) were tested using [...] Read more.
This study screens the permeability of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through edible films made of candelilla wax and guar gum, offering new insights into their role as aroma and moisture barriers. Four formulations (0.2–0.4% wax, 0.4–0.8% gum, and 0.2–0.3% glycerol) were tested using a fractional factorial design. VOC fluxes (one ester, two aldehydes, two terpenes, and one lactone) were monitored via headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) in a diffusion cell and modeled kinetically. Wax-rich matrices compacted the network, reducing initial VOC transmission by up to 60%, while glycerol fine-tuned micromobility and selectivity. The formulation containing 0.4% wax, 0.8% gum, and 0.2% glycerol minimized time-dependent flux acceleration and reduced the cumulative permeability of both polar (hexanal) and non-polar (limonene) markers by 80%. Aroma loss decreased across all blends, correlating with improved water vapor control. These results establish quantitative criteria for developing sustainable edible coatings that balance aroma retention, water-barrier performance, and mechanical flexibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization—2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 2898 KB  
Article
Anthocyanin-Functionalized Hydrophobic Cellulose Composite Films as Sensitive Colorimetric Indicators to Monitor Beef Freshness
by Xuemei Cai, Changqiu Li, Yujie Mo, Mingfeng Qiao, Jun Xiang, Shuang Wang and Meifeng Li
Foods 2025, 14(22), 3944; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14223944 - 18 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1053
Abstract
In recent years, emerging biodegradable food-packaging materials based on nanocellulose with excellent comprehensive performance have become a promising, environmentally friendly raw material, which can be used as an ideal substrate for degradable composite films. However, the poor water resistance and flexibility of nanocellulose [...] Read more.
In recent years, emerging biodegradable food-packaging materials based on nanocellulose with excellent comprehensive performance have become a promising, environmentally friendly raw material, which can be used as an ideal substrate for degradable composite films. However, the poor water resistance and flexibility of nanocellulose composite films limit their practical applications. Herein, nanocellulose films composed of chitin nanocrystals (ChNCs) and anthocyanin (BA) were utilized to obtain water-resistant, antibacterial, and flexible nanocellulose composite films. Owing to the nonpolar aromatic rings in the structure of BA, the water contact angle (WCAs) test indicated that the introduction of BA effectively improved the hydrophobicity of the nanocellulose composite film (WCA, up to 95°), and nanocellulose composite films possessed enhanced antibacterial/antioxidant properties (DPPH scavenging rate, 79.15%; 66.62% for E. coli and 78.07% for S. aureus). Importantly, the introduction of BA effectively enables the film to indicate the freshness of a nanocellulose food wrap, considering its pH/NH3-responsive properties. In addition, the weight loss rate of CCBA-9 film reached 90.21% after 13 days, demonstrating good biodegradability. Therefore, by innovatively introducing the synergistic system of BA and ChNCs, the material breaks through the technical bottleneck of traditional polymer packaging materials and provides a disruptive solution for the development of the next generation of environmentally friendly smart food packaging materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization—2nd Edition)
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15 pages, 2526 KB  
Article
Ultrasound-Enhanced Ionotropic Gelation of Pectin for Lemon Essential Oil Encapsulation: Morphological Characterization and Application in Fresh-Cut Apple Preservation
by Rofia Djerri, Salah Merniz, Maria D’Elia, Nadjwa Aissani, Aicha Khemili, Mohamed Abou Mustapha, Luca Rastrelli and Louiza Himed
Foods 2025, 14(11), 1968; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14111968 - 31 May 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2040
Abstract
The growing demand for natural preservatives in the food industry has highlighted the importance of essential oils (EOs), despite their limitations related to volatility and oxidative instability. This study addresses these challenges by developing pectin-based microcapsules for encapsulating lemon essential oil (LEO) using [...] Read more.
The growing demand for natural preservatives in the food industry has highlighted the importance of essential oils (EOs), despite their limitations related to volatility and oxidative instability. This study addresses these challenges by developing pectin-based microcapsules for encapsulating lemon essential oil (LEO) using ultrasound-assisted ionotropic gelation. The EO, extracted from Citrus limon (Eureka variety), exhibited a high limonene content (56.18%) and demonstrated significant antioxidant (DPPH IC50: 28.43 ± 0.14 µg/mL; ABTS IC50: 35.01 ± 0.11 µg/mL) and antifungal activities, particularly against A. niger and Botrytis spp. Encapsulation efficiency improved to 82.3% with ultrasound pretreatment, and SEM imaging confirmed spherical, uniform capsules. When applied to fresh-cut apples, LEO-loaded capsules significantly reduced browning (browning score: 1.2 ± 0.3 vs. 2.8 ± 0.2 in control), microbial load (4.9 ± 0.2 vs. 6.5 ± 0.4 log CFU/g), and weight loss (4.2% vs. 6.4%) after 10 days of storage at 4 °C. These results underscore the potential of ultrasound-enhanced pectin encapsulation for improving EO stability and efficacy in food preservation systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization—2nd Edition)
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Review

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43 pages, 1138 KB  
Review
Emerging Trends in Active Packaging for Food: A Six-Year Review
by Mariana A. Andrade, Cássia H. Barbosa, Regiane Ribeiro-Santos, Sidney Tomé, Ana Luísa Fernando, Ana Sanches Silva and Fernanda Vilarinho
Foods 2025, 14(15), 2713; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14152713 - 1 Aug 2025
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 14504
Abstract
The development of active food packaging has evolved rapidly in recent years, offering innovative solutions to enhance food preservation and safety while addressing sustainability challenges. This review compiles and analyzes recent advancements (2019–2024) in release-type active packaging, focusing on essential oils, natural extracts, [...] Read more.
The development of active food packaging has evolved rapidly in recent years, offering innovative solutions to enhance food preservation and safety while addressing sustainability challenges. This review compiles and analyzes recent advancements (2019–2024) in release-type active packaging, focusing on essential oils, natural extracts, and phenolic compounds as active agents. Primarily plant-derived, these compounds exhibit significant antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, extending shelf life and enhancing food quality. Technological strategies such as encapsulation and polymer blending have been increasingly adopted to overcome challenges related to volatility, solubility, and sensory impact. Integrating bio-based polymers, including chitosan, starch, and polylactic acid, further supports the development of environmentally friendly packaging systems. This review also highlights trends in compound-specific research, release mechanisms, and commercial applications, including a detailed analysis of patents and case studies across various food matrices. These developments have already been translated into practical applications, such as antimicrobial sachets for meat and essential oil-based pads for fresh produce. Moreover, by promoting the valorization of agro-industrial by-products and the use of biodegradable materials, emission-type active packaging contributes to the principles of the circular economy. This comprehensive overview underscores the potential of natural bioactive compounds in advancing sustainable and functional food packaging technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Active Packaging in Food Storage: From Development to Utilization—2nd Edition)
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