Antioxidant packaging films: application for sustainable food protection

Antioxidant packaging films (APFs) have emerged as a transformative result in food preservation, offering biodegradability, cost-effectiveness, and the ability to incorporate bioactive compounds. These films mitigate food spoilage by preventing oxidation and inhibiting enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning, while naturally derived antioxidants enhance their functionality with low toxicity, high nutritional value, and effective antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Recent advances demonstrate that integrating natural antioxidants, such as polyphenols and flavonoids, significantly improves total phenolic content, free radical scavenging, and overall antioxidant activity of APFs. These films also exhibit great light and moisture barrier properties, mechanical strength, and compatibility with intelligent/active packaging systems. This review investigated novel raw materials, advanced manufacturing techniques, and innovative encapsulation methods for incorporating antioxidants into APFs, highlighting their diverse applications in extending shelf life and ensuring food safety across the food industry, while uniquely addressing critical gaps in scalable, eco-friendly food packaging through cutting-edge developments in sustainable raw materials and enhanced antioxidant delivery for improved film performance.