Review of Antimicrobial Food Packaging and its Application in Dairy Products

In recent years, attention has been paid to active packaging in food production, which is due to the fact that this type of package is not only responsible for wrapping and protection of food against external factors, but also other benefits, such as helping to increase the shelf life of food using absorbent agents (moisture, oxygen, etc.), releasing the various compounds agents (ethanol, chlorine dioxide, ...) , heating and cooling the food and the possibility of determining food shelf life using various sensors and reagents, such as freshness reagents, etc.
Antimicrobial packaging is one of the types of active packaging. In addition to protecting food from environmental conditions, antimicrobial packaging is able to inhibit or reduce the growth of microorganisms and increase the shelf life of food. The use of antimicrobial compounds in packaging materials in the food industry has also attracted the attention of researchers. Using antimicrobials in food products, in addition to reduce the microbial population and increase the quality and safety of products, it can greatly reduce the usage of synthetic and carcinogenic preservatives. Compounds with antimicrobial activity can be used in a mixed, stabilized or modified forms on the surface of edible coatings. Dairy products are highly susceptible to spoilage due to their high susceptibility to bacterial and fungal contamination. According to researches, the use of antimicrobial compounds in the packaging of these products, especially in cheeses, can be very helpful.