Natural Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Agents and Processing Technologies for the Design of Active Food Packaging Polymers

Over the last decades, food packaging has advanced significantly, which is crucial in maintaining food safety and minimizing waste. However, most traditional food packaging materials in the market are typically made of inexpensive synthetic plastics with a limited scope of providing physical containment and an effective barrier against moisture and gases. In contrast, sustainable active packaging offers a promising solution to extend the shelf-life of food by effectively decreasing the rate of oxidative deterioration and microbial growth while reducing the environmental impact of petrochemical-derived plastics. As a result, there is a significant interest in developing sustainable and active food packaging materials with a low carbon footprint. Natural resource-derived antioxidant and antimicrobial agents are better alternatives to traditional synthetic agents when combined with any biodegradable polymer as it enhances the sustainability portfolio. This review critically evaluates recent trends in developing natural resource-derived antioxidant and antimicrobial agents for active food packaging applications. Various active biobased antioxidant and antimicrobial agents are critically reviewed and discussed, including their structure, physico-chemical properties, and various attributes in food packaging applications. Finally, this review presents an outlook on the future of sustainable and active food packaging materials and highlights the potential challenges in their development and implementation.