Advanced biodegradable antimicrobial coatings by combining biopolymers and natural antimicrobials for the active packaging and extending the shelf-life of fish and other seafood products: a review

Fish and other seafood products are an integral and valuable part of human diets. In advanced nations, the transportation of fish and other seafood products to customers requires packaging and display. Due to their intrinsic physicochemical properties, seafood products are particularly susceptible to microbial growth, resulting in shorter shelf lives and higher spoilage rates compared to other animal-derived proteins, such as meat. To prevent microbial spoilage and preserve the freshness and quality of fish and other seafood products, petroleum-based plastic materials are commonly used in combination with packaging technologies, such as vacuum packaging and modified atmosphere packaging. However, as these fossil fuel-based materials are non-biodegradable, non-recyclable, and associated with damaging environmental footprints, there is a clear need to develop advanced and smart sustainable packaging solutions that can meet environmental and climate demand while being able to extend the shelf-life of seafood products beyond current expectations. Various biopolymers, including polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan, and polyethylene glycol, have been widely utilised in the development of advanced, sustainable, and biodegradable packaging materials for seafood. However, most of these biopolymers inherently lack antimicrobial properties, limiting their ability to effectively extend the shelf-life of seafood products. Recent studies have shown that incorporating natural antimicrobial materials into biopolymers significantly enhances their antimicrobial properties. As a result, the development of active packaging materials for seafood preservation has emerged as a growing area of research. In this review, we examine approaches that have been used in this area with an emphasis on active antimicrobial-containing systems based on non-fossil fuel plastics. This work will centre on reviewing the literature to understand and analyse the techniques used to create these advanced active biodegradable and sustainable packaging materials.