21
microbial attack. Progress in this field is focused on the effectiveness and efficiency
of food protection in a sustainable way. In addition, these materials are intended
with the aim of reducing the amount of active agents used on food, thus allowing for
safer and more natural food. In this sense, active agents obtained from natural
sources can induce bioactivity in packaging systems, and are gaining ground compared to traditional synthetic antimicrobials (Dıblan and Kaya 2015; Janjarasskul
and Suppakul 2018). Particularly, the interest on nanoantimicrobials has gained
importance since their high area/volume ratio, which makes them highly efficient
active agents. For this reason, low amounts of antimicrobial agents are required to
obtain the same, or even better, food protection effect compared to other nonnanometric substances (Malhotra et al. 2015).
One of the newest and most outstanding trends in AP is the multifunctional packaging having multiple properties. The combination of active and intelligent packaging is the most imminent packaging technology (Montazer and Harifi 2017). Some
authors have defined this technological approach as ‘intelligent (smart) packaging’,
referring to the integration of active and intelligent functions in a system (Sharma
and Ghoshal 2018). These special AP respond dynamically to any change in the
quality profile of the foodstuff, and their combined functions involve the detection,
control and information about the food quality. The design of AP functions must be
targeted and tailored, considering the requirements of the food, as well as consumer
and market demand. It is worth noting that active and intelligent packaging are of
great relevance for the industry 4.0. This simplifies the production processes, facilitates distribution logistics, protects and improves the product quality, provides
information about the product during marketing, among others (Glistau and Coello
Machado 2018). In this sense, AP innovations attempt to optimize the packaging
system and explore the potentialities in a more sustainable way. AP’s future challenges involve profitable and sustainable developments on an industrial scale. The
implementation of these technologies depends largely on the cost/benefit relationship, food safety and regulations on their industrial applications (Han et al. 2018).
In this way, the development of active polymer films made from low cost polyolefins and organic/inorganic particles is a promising alternative for food packaging
applications. These materials combine synergistically matrix and particles properties, having biocidal activity and good mechanical properties. These characteristics
promote its industrial development for the mass production of active polymer films,
thus offering a wide range of possibilities, depending on the specific application and
the requirements of the foodstuff. This versatility is associated with the possibility
of including certain functionalities, either in bulk or by the superficial modification
of the packaging material.
Acknowledgments The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Consejo Nacional de
Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) and the Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS).
Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.
2 Active Packaging Films Based on Polyolefins Modified by Organic and Inorganic…
microbial attack. Progress in this field is focused on the effectiveness and efficiency
of food protection in a sustainable way. In addition, these materials are intended
with the aim of reducing the amount of active agents used on food, thus allowing for
safer and more natural food. In this sense, active agents obtained from natural
sources can induce bioactivity in packaging systems, and are gaining ground compared to traditional synthetic antimicrobials (Dıblan and Kaya 2015; Janjarasskul
and Suppakul 2018). Particularly, the interest on nanoantimicrobials has gained
importance since their high area/volume ratio, which makes them highly efficient
active agents. For this reason, low amounts of antimicrobial agents are required to
obtain the same, or even better, food protection effect compared to other nonnanometric substances (Malhotra et al. 2015).
One of the newest and most outstanding trends in AP is the multifunctional packaging having multiple properties. The combination of active and intelligent packaging is the most imminent packaging technology (Montazer and Harifi 2017). Some
authors have defined this technological approach as ‘intelligent (smart) packaging’,
referring to the integration of active and intelligent functions in a system (Sharma
and Ghoshal 2018). These special AP respond dynamically to any change in the
quality profile of the foodstuff, and their combined functions involve the detection,
control and information about the food quality. The design of AP functions must be
targeted and tailored, considering the requirements of the food, as well as consumer
and market demand. It is worth noting that active and intelligent packaging are of
great relevance for the industry 4.0. This simplifies the production processes, facilitates distribution logistics, protects and improves the product quality, provides
information about the product during marketing, among others (Glistau and Coello
Machado 2018). In this sense, AP innovations attempt to optimize the packaging
system and explore the potentialities in a more sustainable way. AP’s future challenges involve profitable and sustainable developments on an industrial scale. The
implementation of these technologies depends largely on the cost/benefit relationship, food safety and regulations on their industrial applications (Han et al. 2018).
In this way, the development of active polymer films made from low cost polyolefins and organic/inorganic particles is a promising alternative for food packaging
applications. These materials combine synergistically matrix and particles properties, having biocidal activity and good mechanical properties. These characteristics
promote its industrial development for the mass production of active polymer films,
thus offering a wide range of possibilities, depending on the specific application and
the requirements of the foodstuff. This versatility is associated with the possibility
of including certain functionalities, either in bulk or by the superficial modification
of the packaging material.
Acknowledgments The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Consejo Nacional de
Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) and the Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS).
Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.
2 Active Packaging Films Based on Polyolefins Modified by Organic and Inorganic…