Probiotic-incorporated active packaging solutions for meat and meat products: A review of benefits and recent applications

Background: Increased consumer awareness regarding the environmental effects of plastic food packaging and synthetic preservatives has driven the food industry to explore alternative options. Edible and biodegradable films and coatings are progressively being adopted as a natural substitute for conventional food packaging. Probiotics incorporated in films and coatings not only have diverse techno-functional and nutritional properties in foods but also when consumed in sufficient amounts, support gut health and enhance the immune system. Scope and approach: This review explores the method of probiotics incorporation in packaging material, effective factors on probiotics viability in films and coatings, their effects on meat and meat products quality (i.e., physicochemical, microbial, functional, and sensory attributes), as well as synergistic effects of probioticcontaining packaging with other strategies. Moreover, the present review outlines the regulations associated to the promotion of food packaging containing probiotics. Key findings and conclusions: Edible films and coatings are composed of thin layers designed to maintain meat products against microbial and chemical deteriorations to improve the safety and techno-functionality without the negative effects on sensory and nutritional properties. However, the efficacy of probiotic-incorporated packaging is influenced by viability and type of probiotic strains, packaging materials, and the storage conditions of meat products, which could be developed using suitable prebiotics. Bacteriocins, organic acids and hydrogen peroxide produced by probiotics as well as chitosan as coating material revealed strong antimicrobial effects against foodborne and spoilage bacteria, positioning them as promising alternatives to synthetic preservatives. However, further studies are needed on films and coatings incorporated with probiotics in combination with other natural antimicrobials including enzymes, bioactive peptides and essential oils which possess remarkable preservative properties to improve stability and shelf life of meat and meat products.