Developments in Antimicrobial Food Packaging From Zein Incorporating Natural Active Agents

Abstract

In this chapter, the current developments in using zein for antimicrobial food packaging have been discussed with particular emphasis on incorporated natural active agents. Although zein could be incorporated with antimicrobial enzymes and peptides, incorporation of phenolic compounds, essential oils, and organic acids into zein packaging have gained a particular interest as these natural antimicrobial agents also help reducing classical brittle nature of zein films. The composites or blends of zein with lipids and fatty acids still maintain their importance as antimicrobial films having sustained release properties. However, recent developments have also addressed different benefits of using zein nanofibers, nanoparticles, and nanoemulsions in packaging. Moreover, zein has also become a promising material to obtain antimicrobial electrospun mats. This chapter discusses not only traditional antimicrobial zein films and coatings, but also recently developed zein-based antimicrobial materials. © 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.