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Nanocomposites and their application in antimicrobial packaging
Summary
This review covers advances in nanocomposite materials for antimicrobial food packaging, which incorporate natural substances like essential oils and metal nanoparticles into packaging films. These materials offer a potential replacement for traditional plastic packaging that breaks down into microplastics. By reducing reliance on conventional plastics in the food industry, nanocomposite packaging could help decrease the amount of microplastic contamination entering food and the environment.
The advances in nanocomposites incorporating bioactive substances have the potential to transform the food packaging sector. Different nanofillers have been incorporated into polymeric matrixes to develop nanocomposite materials with improved mechanical, thermal, optical and barrier properties. Nanoclays, nanosilica, carbon nanotubes, nanocellulose, and chitosan/chitin nanoparticles have been successfully included into polymeric films, resulting in packaging materials with advanced characteristics. Nanostructured antimicrobial films have promising applications as active packaging in the food industry. Nanocomposite films containing antimicrobial substances such as essential oils, bacteriocins, antimicrobial enzymes, or metallic nanoparticles have been developed. These active nanocomposites are useful packaging materials to enhance food safety. Nanocomposites are promising materials for use in food packaging applications as practical and safe substitutes to the traditional packaging plastics.
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