*Overview of Food Antimicrobial Packaging DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108666*


**Table 2.**

*Some applications of antimicrobial packaging.*

### *Overview of Food Antimicrobial Packaging DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108666*

billion in the year 2020 to USD 118.85 billion by 2026 [3]. In fact, biodegradable and biobased/renewable polymers production capacity is estimated to grow from around 2.11 million tons in 2018 to 2.62 million tons in 2023 [114]. Furthermore, special research attention has to be paid to biodegradable and bio-based packaging materials with antimicrobial activity, where active compounds are incorporated into polymers/ biopolymers to increase the quality and shelf-life of the packaged foods. To avoid food contamination and spoilage, active agents should exhibit a potent antimicrobial activity to meet the expectations of ideal antimicrobial packaging [3, 114, 115]. Extensive research on the development of innovative, antimicrobial, and eco-friendly packaging has been undertaken to control the growth of bacteria, yeast, and fungi in food products. Additionally, antimicrobial packaging materials should preserve not only food but also protect consumers' health. During a COVID-19 pandemic, not only SARS-CoV-2 virus particles may be present on the surface of the package. Frequent hand disinfection leads to the appearance of bacterial cells that are resistant to disinfectants and these bacteria may also be present on the package and consistently transmitted by hands. This review highlights that an external coating or external, extruded film layer of the packaging with antiviral and antibacterial properties may be a novel solution to protect customers against bacterial cells and viruses transmitted through packagingto-human [94, 96–98].

Summarizing, it should be underlined that the global food packaging market reached a value of US\$ 345.3 billion in 2021 [116], including only \$9.6 billion (2.78%), which was reached by antimicrobial food packaging. However, it is projected that the antimicrobial food packaging market will hit around USD 19.7 billion by 2030 [117]. Many end-user sectors, including the beverage and food industry, are already interested in the various kinds of antimicrobial packaging, such as cartons and pouches, bags, trays, cans, cups, blister packs, and many more. There are companies that possess antimicrobial packaging materials in their offer as the answer to these demands. Dunmore a global manufacturer of laminated and coated films/foils developed and launched a new coated, polyester film (PET and BOPP) which is scratch-resistant and antimicrobial. This packaging material contains silver ions as active agents and it is effective against a wide spectrum of microorganisms [118, 119]. Klöckner Pentaplast Group is a leader in high-barrier protective packaging which extends the shelf-life of many food products. This company expanded its offer with new lowcost and effective antimicrobial performance films [118, 120]. Avient Corporation developed GLS TPEs (thermoplastic elastomer TPE) with antimicrobial additives, available as Versaflex™ and OnFlex™ grades. GLS TPEs with antimicrobial agents are commercially available in the United States and Asia. The company is focused on the development and additional antimicrobial formulations, which may be used as active additives to packaging materials [121, 122]. Cartro, a packaging business with headquarters in Mexico, and Mondi Ltd., one of the most important packaging manufacturers, partnered successfully in 2020. These companies decided to develop antimicrobial packaging for fresh and regional goods. Moreover, in the same year, Parkside Flexibles introduced new packaging materials covered with an antibacterial coating in partnership with Touch guard company [117]. Many companies are now focused on developing and launching antimicrobial packaging or active additives for packaging materials. Many global manufacturers offer high-barrier packaging that allows extending the shelf-life of food products by packing them in a MAP system or in a vacuum. The most important companies that have such packaging materials or active agents/additives in their portfolio are: PREXELENT®, Aptar CSP Technologies, BASF Group, Dow, BioCote, and MICROBAN [117, 118, 123–129].
