Food coating using vegetable sources: importance and industrial potential, gaps of knowledge, current application, and future trends

The food packaging market has been seeking to meet consumer health and personal standards. In this sense, plant-based ingredients and food such as vegetable extracts are the future. Among the trends, active packaging stands out since it can extend the shelf-life of packaged food or improve its sensory properties and food safety. In this work, a watchful literature review was conducted to identify studies on food packaging coatings and vegetable extracts coating and their benefits. The innovations and technological advances in the food area have collaborated in several aspects, allowing the improvement of food quality, the protection of bioactive compounds from adverse effects of harsh environment, and the replacement of conventional plastics. The use of vegetable extracts and nanocomposites in edible coatings and films has shown positive results in different types of food and is a promising material for being considered a safe compound and a sustainable alternative.