This book provides a survey of the active packaging technologies that now play a role in packaging for the improvement of food preservation, quality, and safety. It gives the reader a detailed guide and reference to these technologies and their applications, focusing on technologies which either are currently in commercial use or have the potential to become commercial, including oxygen scavenging, moisture control, ethylene removal from fresh food, antimicrobials, odor removal, and aroma emission.

From the Preface: “...This text was derived from a draft technical report for the U.S. Army...entitled ‘Active Packaging Applications to Enhance the Preservation and Quality of Contained Foods.’ The purpose of this original report was to identify and characterize domestic and international active packaging technologies with potential for direct U.S. military application. The report reviews commercial and developmental technologies concerning oxygen-scavenging, odor and moisture removal, aroma emission, and antimicrobial systems...This book focuses on active packaging in all of its manifestations. As we indicate in this text, literally thousands of citations from the peer-reviewed, trade, commercial, and patent literature were found, classified, and reviewed...”

Target Audience: Food packaging technologists and researchers, as well as producers of packaging materials used in the food industry.

Table of Contents:

Introduction
Oxygen Scavengers
Oxygen Scavenger Systems
Oxygen Scavenging in 2000 and Beyond
Moisture Control
Gas-Permeability Control
Ethylene Control
Odor Removers
Aroma Emissions from Plastics
Antimicrobial Packaging
Other Systems
Index