Polyphenols & Antioxidants Incorporation into Food packaging: Trends & Perspectives

Natural antioxidants, including polyphenols, not related with possible toxicological side-effects as artificial molecules, are being used in active packaging in order to extend the shelf-life of foodstuffs and reduce the addition of antioxidants directly to the food. This presentation reviews some of the antioxidants that have been incorporated into food packaging, namely α-tocopherol, caffeic acid, catechin, quercetin, carvacrol and plant extracts. For instance, rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) extract is composed by flavones (apigenin, genkwanin, hesperetin and cirsimaritin), phenolic diterpenes (carnosic acid, carnosol, rosmadial, epirrosmanol, rosmanol, carnosic acid o-quinone), and phenolic acids (caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid) which contribute for its recognised antioxidant properties. Due to these properties, this extract has already been added to meat to delay the oxidation (Sánchez-Escalante et al., 2001; O’Grady et al., 2006) or to maintain the quality of fresh-cut pears (Xiao et al., 2010) as well as it has been incorporated in polymeric films (Camo et al., 2008; Pezo et al., 2008) to improve food shelf-life. The methods used to determine the oxidation protection effect of antioxidant active films and the methods used to quantify natural antioxidants in food matrices or food simulants are also reviewed in this presentation. Finally, consumers’ demands and industry trends such as the use of biodegradable/compostable packaging and edible films are also addressed.