Foodborne diseases are a global public health issue. TheCDC has estimated 47.8 million foodborne illnesses,127,839 hospitalizations and 3,037 deaths for 2011 in theU.S. alone, (CDC, 2011), which would result in medicalexpenses and productivity losses, and affect global health,trade and the economy.As a result, the demand for new technologies to controlfoodborne pathogens has increased significantly in recentyears. As such, food packaging plays an important role inproviding safety and maintaining quality of food. Foodpackaging with new functions is known as active packaging,developed as a result of consumer demand for safety andmore natural products with a longer shelf life, better cost–benefits and convenience (Ahvenainen, 2003).According to regulations 1935/2004/EC and 450/2009/EC of the European Union, active packaging is defined asactive materials in contact with food, with the ability tochange the composition of the food or the atmospherearound it (Restuccia et al., 2010).Antimicrobial packaging is a type of active packagingwhich interacts with the product or the headspace inside toreduce, inhibit or retard the growth of microorganisms thatmay be present on food surfaces (Soares et al., 2009).In this way, the incorporation of antimicrobials intopackaging materials allows the gradual diffusion of targetbactericidal or bacteriostatic compounds into a food matrix,which eliminates the need for additional high concentrationsof antimicrobials directly on the food product. In addition,
researchers have considered antimicrobial packaging as an
additional hurdle to food contamination after nonthermal
processes; hence, they can play an important role in reducing the risk of pathogen contamination and extending the
shelf life of food.
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