Packaging Systems Using Agricultural Product in World

Abstract

Packaging is essential for the preservation of food for longer period by extending the shelf life of food. Conventionally plastic, cardboard and pepper were used for food packaging but there were some limitations that plastic is a non-degradable material and it could be dangerous for food items and also polluted the environment. On the other hand cardboard and peppers are biodegradable but they don’t have good barrier ability for moisture and gas which is crucial factor in food preservation. Therefore this article focused on bioactive packaging which could be obtained from agricultural residues during farming and food processing. These Agricultural residues could be obtained from fruits, vegetables and other plant wastes including rice husks, maize comb etc. These residues have rich content of cellulose, lignin and pectin which are important material for food packaging films and coatings. These contents have good ability of moisture and gas barriers, also have flexibility and tensile strength. These agricultural sources also have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties which are important factors in food packaging for preserving food from oxidation and microbial spoilage. So it is concluded from this review that agricultural residues are best source of food packaging and also ecofriendly because of their biodegradable ability.