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Sustainable Food Packaging and Its Impact on Shelf Life and...
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Sustainable Food Packaging and Its Impact on Shelf Life and Safety of Agrifoods

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 April 2026 | Viewed by 469

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Simona Marianna Sanzani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Scienze del Suolo, della Pianta e degli Alimenti, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Interests: fungi; postharvest pathology; alternative control; induction of resistance; mycotoxins; diagnosis; host–pathogen interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ornella Incerti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Scienze del Suolo, della Pianta e degli Alimenti, Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Interests: plant pathology; ecofriendly control of plant stresses; postharvest pathology; oomics technologies; phytopathogen diagnosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Postharvest losses and waste of fruits and vegetables, even in favourable conditions, can affect up to 50% of total production, primarily due to fungi causing rot and contamination by toxic metabolites such as mycotoxins. Considering that many countries around the world allow few or no treatments after harvest, the search for alternative control means has become a priority. In recent years, several strategies have been proposed to control phytopathogens, mainly based on the use of natural compounds and microbial antagonists to be applied before and after harvest. A significant contribution to the reduction in agrifood wastes is made by packaging materials, which aim to contain, protect, and preserve the product. When enriched with antimicrobial active agents to prolong the product’s shelf life, these materials are defined as active packaging. Furthermore, given the concern regarding the use of polluting materials, innovations in eco-friendly and sustainable solutions for the storage of fruits and vegetables need to focus on extending their shelf life and guaranteeing their safety. We encourage submissions of research addressing the above-mentioned issues, with a particular interest in interdisciplinary studies.

Dr. Simona Marianna Sanzani
Dr. Ornella Incerti
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

  • food packaging
  • agrifood spoilage
  • shelf life
  • mycotoxins
  • active substances
  • sustainable materials
  • food quality
  • postharvest
  • alternative films
  • edible coatings

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 2654 KB  
Article
Effects of Active Paper Sheets on the Quality of Cherry Tomatoes and Kale During Storage
by Alejandra Navarro-Martínez, Yineth Piñeros-Castro, Alberto Garre, Antonio López-Gómez and Ginés Benito Martínez-Hernández
Foods 2025, 14(24), 4225; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14244225 - 9 Dec 2025
Abstract
The effect of active packaging on maintaining the quality of cherry tomatoes and kale during storage was investigated. The active packaging consisted of kraft paper sheets coated with thymol/eugenol (50:50) encapsulated in β-cyclodextrin. Cherry tomatoes were stored at 10, 15, and 22 °C [...] Read more.
The effect of active packaging on maintaining the quality of cherry tomatoes and kale during storage was investigated. The active packaging consisted of kraft paper sheets coated with thymol/eugenol (50:50) encapsulated in β-cyclodextrin. Cherry tomatoes were stored at 10, 15, and 22 °C for 15, 14, and 8 days, respectively, while kale was stored at 2, 8, 15, and 22 °C for 21, 16, 9, and 7 days. Physicochemical (pH, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, colour, and firmness), microbiological (mesophilic, psychrophilic, enterobacteria, moulds, and yeasts) and pigment/bioactive/nutritional (chlorophylls, carotenoids, total phenolic content, vitamin C, and total antioxidant capacity) characteristics were analysed. Active packaging significantly reduced microbial growth, particularly enterobacteria and moulds, in cherry tomatoes and psychrophiles and moulds in kale, without negatively affecting the physicochemical quality. The microbial kinetics were successfully described using the Baranyi–Ratkowsky predictive model, which quantified the effects of temperature and active packaging on microbial growth parameters. This modelling approach revealed that active packaging increased the minimum growth temperature and reduced the specific growth rate of key microbial groups, confirming its inhibitory action under different storage conditions. The use of active packaging slowed colour degradation in kale by reducing chlorophyll loss up to 50% at 22 °C and maintained tomato firmness and colour during storage. Furthermore, a strong correlation (R2 = 0.87) between colour index and carotenoid content was found, enabling the non-destructive prediction of ripening in tomatoes. Overall, active packaging enhanced microbial stability, delayed visual deterioration, and sustainably extended the shelf life and post-harvest quality of perishable products, offering a promising alternative to conventional preservation methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Food Packaging and Its Impact on Shelf Life and Safety of Agrifoods)
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22 pages, 545 KB  
Article
Natural Volatile Compounds as Antifungal Agents Against Monilinia fructicola In Vitro and in Composite Edible Coatings for Sustainable Disease Reduction and Fruit Quality Preservation During Prolonged Cold Storage of Fresh Japanese Plums
by María Victoria Alvarez, Lluís Palou, Verònica Taberner and María Bernardita Pérez-Gago
Foods 2025, 14(23), 4088; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234088 - 28 Nov 2025
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Abstract
The antifungal activity of natural extracts, essential oils (EOs), and pure volatiles against Monilinia fructicola, the main causal agent of brown rot of stone fruits, was evaluated in in vitro tests. Cinnamon (CI), lemongrass (LE), geraniol (GE), and myrrh (MY) EOs were [...] Read more.
The antifungal activity of natural extracts, essential oils (EOs), and pure volatiles against Monilinia fructicola, the main causal agent of brown rot of stone fruits, was evaluated in in vitro tests. Cinnamon (CI), lemongrass (LE), geraniol (GE), and myrrh (MY) EOs were the most effective antifungal agents and, hence, selected as ingredients of composite edible coatings (CECs) formulated with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and lipidic components. In in vivo curative experiments with ‘Black Gold’ plums artificially inoculated with M. fructicola and incubated for up to 10 days at 20 °C, brown rot incidence was reduced by up to 49% with CECs containing 4 g/kg LE, 2 g/kg GE, or 5 g/kg MY. These CECs were then evaluated for brown rot control and quality maintenance of ‘Angeleno’ plums stored for up to 6 weeks at 1 °C and 90% RH, followed by a shelf-life period of 4 days at 20 °C. After 3 weeks, CECs containing GE and MY reduced brown rot incidence by 45 and 70%, respectively. After 6 weeks plus shelf life, all CECs reduced brown rot severity (lesion size) by 30–50%. Regarding fruit quality, coated plums showed higher firmness than uncoated control plums, and the CEC containing GE significantly reduced weight loss after 6 weeks plus shelf life. Moreover, physicochemical quality attributes (titratable acidity, soluble solids content, and volatile compounds) and sensory properties (overall flavor, off-flavor, firmness, and external appearance) of coated plums were not negatively affected by CEC application. Furthermore, all coated plums exhibited more gloss than uncoated fruit. Overall, the CEC-GE formulation was the most effective in reducing decay and maintaining the postharvest quality of cold-stored plums, showing the best potential as a sustainable alternative for plum postharvest preservation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Food Packaging and Its Impact on Shelf Life and Safety of Agrifoods)
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