Integrated Study for the Shelf-life Evaluation in Food: Use of Spices, Herbs, and Bio-packaging

Abstract

In recent years, food industries have implemented their core strategies based on sustainability issues. To satisfy consumers’ requirements concerning the quality and safety of foodstuffs, food industries focused on the possibility of using spices and herbs as natural additives to extend the product shelf-life. Indeed, to better preserve food quality and safety, thus reducing environmental impacts on natural resources, innovative and/or functional packaging technologies have been developed. Hence, among primary food packaging, scientific research focused on the possibility of implementing the use of bio-packaging to both prolong shelf-life and reduce the "harmful" effects on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Through an overview of the scientific literature, this study was aimed at evaluating the application of spices, herbs, and bio-packaging as novel preservation techniques, to extend the shelf-life of food, thus offering an "eco-friendly" solution. The application of these studies on the use of spices, herbs, and bio-packaging could represent new solutions for food preservation, also reducing the economic, environmental, and social impact.