Edible films and coatings to prevent the detrimental effect of oxygen on food quality: Possibilities and limitations

Oxygen has a deleterious effect on the quality of a wide variety of food products. The application of edible films and coatings to food products represents a new approach to solve this problem. Edible films and coatings can include antioxidant agents in their formulation and at the same time, they represent a barrier to oxygen, which results in a better preservation of quality. The water activity of the product, as well as the ambient relative humidity, determines the antioxidant effect of films and coatings. This paper reviews the latest studies dealing with the effectiveness and application of antioxidant films and coatings.

► The deleterious effect of oxygen on food quality can be controlled with edible films and coatings containing antioxidants.
► The action of these involves the oxygen barrier effect and the specific activity of the incorporated antioxidant agents.
► The efficiency of edible films and coatings is greatly affected by the water availability in the film.
► This paper reviews the latest studies dealing with the effectiveness and application of antioxidant films and coatings.