Short description
Describes a field of packaging technology which is continuing to grow in importance - the need to provide packages that reduce the requirement for food additives. A global perspective is provided by an international team of acknowledged experts in the field.
Long description
Food packaging materials have traditionally been chosen to avoid unwanted interactions with the food. During the past two decades a wide variety of packaging materials have been devised or developed to interact with the food. These packaging materials, which are designed to perform some desired role other than to provide an inert barrier to outside influences, are termed 'active packaging'. The benefits of active packaging are based on both chemical and physical effects. Active packaging concepts have often been presented to the food industry with few supporting results of background research. This manner of introduction has led to substantial uncertainty by potential users because claims have sometimes been based on extrapolation from what little proven information is available. The forms of active packaging have been chosen to respond to various food properties which are often unrelated to one another.