Controlled-release mechanisms of natural antimicrobials in food packaging: Carrier matrices, interfacial design, release kinetics, and intelligent functionality
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Microbial spoilage and foodborne pathogens remain major threats to food safety and shelf life. Conventional antimicrobial packaging often releases active compounds too rapidly, causing burst release, early depletion, and sensory defects. Controlled-release packaging (CRP) incorporating natural antimicrobials (NAMs) offers a promising alternative by regulating the rate, extent, and location of antimicrobial delivery. This review critically examines natural antimicrobial-based controlled-release systems for food packaging, with emphasis on the relationships among antimicrobial properties, carrier matrices, interfacial interactions, release mechanisms, migration, and preservation performance. Plant-, microbial-, and animal-derived antimicrobials are discussed in relation to their mechanisms of action, stability, and compatibility with packaging materials. Polysaccharide-, protein-, biodegradable polymer-, composite-, and multilayer-based matrices, together with encapsulation approaches such as nano- and microcarriers, cyclodextrin complexes, porous hosts, and electrospun fibers, are evaluated. Diffusion-, swelling-, erosion-, and partition-controlled release mechanisms are considered within the coupled food-packaging-headspace system. Key challenges include instability of natural actives, limited predictive models for real foods, mismatches between release and spoilage dynamics, scale-up barriers, and regulatory uncertainty. Future research should prioritize quantitatively validated, food-specific, and scalable systems that integrate responsive release with sensing and predictive tools.
Source: Future Foods
Institution: Gazipur Agricultural University
Language: English
Subfield: Biomaterials
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,990
OpenAlex ID: W7223137854