ACTIVE AND INTELLIGENT PACKAGING: AN EFFICIENT WAY OF FOOD VALUE CHAIN MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION The basic concept of packaging is to contain the food, provide physical, chemical, or microbial contaminant-free food to consumer and nonetheless to communicate the product composition and properties. Of late, the growing consumer demand for increased shelf life, minimally processed food has compelled the food scientists and packaging industries to develop innovative solutions to address the changing demands of the consumers. These resulted in active and intelligent packaging. Active packaging is used to increase protection function of package by enhancing mechanical, barrier, optical and most commonly antimicrobial property. However, intelligent packaging is an extension of the communication function of the package.

- Prof. J Mitra

Food is a highly perishable and readily interact with the ambience. Intrinsic factors affecting the food quality include pH, water activity (aw), nutrients, presence of antimicrobial compounds, respiration rate, and the biological structure, initial microbial load; whereas, extrinsic factors include storage temperature, relative humidity (RH), and the surrounding gas composition.

ACTIVE PACKAGING

Active packaging interacts with the food or with the headspace gas composition to add certain functionality to the package. These are optical barrier, oxygen scavengers, ethylene scavengers, liquid and moisture absorbers, flavour and odour absorbers or releasers, antimicrobials, and very recently nanocomposites etc. Nanostructures immobilize enzymes, kill/inactivate microbes, act as biosensors etc.

Oxygen Scavengers

The deteriorative reactions in many foods accelerate by oxygen, produce off-flavours, change colours, degrade vitamins (vitamins A, C, E), causes rancidity (oils, nuts, and fatty foods), and induces microbial growth. This can be controlled by oxygen scavengers to as low as 0.01% oxygen.

Ethylene Scavengers

Ethylene causes ripening, tissues softening, chlorophylls degradation, and consequently deterioration of fresh fruits and vegetables specially in climacteric fruits and vegetables such as apples, kiwis, bananas, mangos, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and asparagus.

Moisture Absorbers