**6. Concluding remarks**

To meet the growing demand of recyclable or natural packaging materials and consumer demands for safer and better quality foods, new and novel food-grade packaging materials or technologies have been, and continue to be, developed. Examples of these packaging materials include bio-based polymers, bioplastic or biopolymer packaging products made from raw materials originating from agricultural or marine sources. Under that view, the use of ionizing radiation to synthesize and or enhance properties of edible polymers based on polysaccharides or proteins appears as an emerging promising application. The use of edible coating previously cross-linked by irradiation has permitted a better control of the release of active compounds. So far, the industrial effectiveness of the processing accumulates enough evidences within the huge spectrum of possibilities that radiation technology can offer. In the meanwhile, in order to increase further applications of edible films prepared using radiation technology, an update of the sensory implications, regulatory status and future perspectives on innovative food preservation must still be examined carefully.
