Active packaging containing natural antimicrobials as a potential and innovative technology to extend shelf-life of fish products – A review

The spoilage of fish and seafood is a major problem in all categories in the food sector, with 50 % of the 8.2 million tonnes of marketable fish caught within the EU each year being wasted. Apart from the material linked to quota restriction issues, this waste is largely due to inefficiencies in processing and packaging. Optimal packaging materials and systems, combined with cold storage, are critical to preserving seafood quality. While conventional packaging has proven its worth over the past decades, it now faces modern challenges such as requirements for longer shelf-life, consumer demand for ready-to-eat products, logistical issues pertaining to extended distribution cold-chains and environmental issues with plastic waste. To collectively address these challenges, there is growing interest in active packaging systems that contain natural antimicrobials (NAM) such as chitosan, organic acids, essential oils, etc. NAM are food-safe, clean label, sustainable and have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microbes. As part of hurdle technology, synergistic NAM combinations can potentially be used in antimicrobial-active packaging materials (AAPM) to extend the shelf-life of fish products, reduce waste and improve sustainability. This review highlights the importance of innovative packaging solutions to combat fish spoilage, focusing on the potential usage of NAM in active packaging materials and packaging systems.