Incorporation of essential oils in edible seaweed-based films: A comprehensive review

Novel innovative approaches like edible films have huge potential to be used in food contacting materials due to their positive impacts on ecological problems and other unique properties. Seaweed-based biopolymers can be an excellent and cost-effective source for bio-based polymers. Moreover, to impart functionality in biopolymers-based packaging the addition of essential oils (EOs) can be an eco-friendly and safe alternative to synthetic preservatives. With increasing interest in the use of bioactive compounds like EOs in biodegradable packaging materials, food packaging plays a key role in the preservation of food against environmental factors. This study reviewed a comprehensive summary of seaweed-based polymers sources and their derivatives, and production methods of edible seaweed-biobased films incorporated various EOs and characterization of their properties, EOs and their structure, and more. Edible seaweed-based films could be produced both independently or using its derivatives like agar, carrageenan, furcellaran, and alginate. Seaweed biobased films have more advantages over other polymers or biopolymers. They are edible, cheap, grow rapidly, biocompatible, non-toxic, and can be easily cultivated. The seaweed-based functional films due to their superior features utilize in edible films for food packaging materials. Incorporation of EOs in seaweed-based biopolymers as natural additives with high antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties fulfil a key factor in the forming of edible functional active packaging materials with superior performances to extend the shelf-life of different packed foods. In addition, addition of EOs improve mechanical strength, hydrophobicity, UV-light barrier properties, and thermal properties of seaweeds-based films.