Active Packaging and Intelligent Packaging for Food and Beverage

Traditionally, food and beverage packaging has delayed the adverse effects of the environment on the products it contains. However, current research trends include developing packaging materials that interact with the environment and food, playing a positive role in preservation; Active packaging is mainly designed during the shelf life to improve safety or enhance the sensory characteristics of food and beverages.
Intelligent packaging includes indicators such as time temperature, gas atmosphere, microbial growth, and pathogen detection, used for quality control of packaged food. In the United States, proactive, controlled, and intelligent packaging systems have experienced explosive growth. As of 2008, the average annual growth rate of countries outside the United States as leaders was 11.3%. In the past decade, active packaging has experienced significant growth and changes due to innovation challenging the current situation of traditional food and beverage packaging.
Food polymer packaging can be used as a storage or substrate, from which active ingredients are transported into products in a controlled manner. Controlling the release of active ingredients is such an innovation that can be classified in the field of active packaging. Antibacterial and preservative releasing agents, antioxidant releasing agents, seasoning agents, and fragrance emitting agents are examples of active packaging systems used for food preservation, shelf life extension, or quality improvement.