Effect of Active Antimicrobial Packaging on Qualitative Characteristics of Fruits and Vegetables

The use of active packaging is a new method for preserving food materials, and many researches have been done during recent years to produce and make it economical. This type of packaging improves the safety, durability or sensorial properties of food by changing packaging conditions. Antimicrobial agents are among the most important types of active compounds used in active packaging design. Different types of antimicrobial compounds including essential oils have been used for this purpose. This type of packaging has been used in various forms including antimicrobial sachets loaded with different essential oils and natural antimicrobial coatings for fruits and vegetables. In this review article, it has been mentioned different types of antimicrobial packaging and chemical and natural antimicrobial compounds which can be used in production of active packaging. The method of making antimicrobial sachets and application of antimicrobial sachets and coatings in fruits and vegetables packaging are discussed in detail.