As the world is shifting towards sustainable practices and environmental preservation, advanced packaging options have been the center of focus in the past few years. Advanced packaging mechanisms play a vital role in reducing food waste and ensuring the maintenance of quality during storage.
A big challenge faced by the food industry is the development of sustainable advanced packaging systems while simultaneously minimizing environmental impacts. Recently, there has been a lot of focus on edible packaging.
Edible packaging materials are composed of compounds that are safe for human consumption, posing no health risks. With slight adjustments in material composition and structure, researchers can transform these materials into diverse types of films, coatings, and advanced packaging.
Edible food packaging is primarily available in two distinct forms: edible films and edible coatings. Edible films are produced as solid laminated sheets and used as food wraps, which can be either consumed or removed when eating. In contrast, advanced packaging fabricated in the form of coatings is applied to food in a liquid state through methods like coating, spraying, or immersion. Once dried, they create an edible layer over the food, which can also be either consumed or removed.
Source: azom.com