**6. Conclusion**

Food packaging protects food from environmental effect, contributing to the establishment of convenient storage conditions and reducing food degradation. In response to consumer demand for healthier and higher quality foods with long shelf life, food packaging is continuously being ameliorated. For this purpose, AP was developed. AP can be essentially classified into two categories: active releasing systems (emitters) and active scavenging systems (absorbers). In this study, we were interested in active releasing systems—specially EOs. Many approaches were used to develop controlled-release active packaging. Most of them are based on the use of biodegradable polymers or copolymers with filmogenic properties. EOs, can be incorporated into polymer matrices by blending, method, micro-nano encapsulation, or adsorption technologies. Several recent studies evaluated the effect of EO incorporation in AP as antibacterial or antioxidant agent, and it was found that most of the tested EO are implicated in extending food shelf life.

According to the most recent literature EOs incorporation in AP could be considered as an optimal alternative option in the food packaging industry to obtain healthier food with longer shelf life. However, additional studies for biological and organoleptic proprieties are required.
