Food preservation technologies are currently facing important challenges at extending the shelf-life of perishable food products (e.g., meat, fish, milk, eggs, and many raw fruits and vegetables) that help to meet the daily nutrient requirement demand. In addition, food preservation has gone beyond only preservation; the current techniques are focused on the fulfillment of two additional objectives, the suitability of the used processes and generation of environmentally friendly products with non-presence of any side effect on health. Moreover, they are also looking for additional nutritional properties. One of these preservation protocols deals with the use of edible films and coatings. Therefore, this review shows an overview of synthetic materials (e.g., glass, aluminum, plastic, and paperboard), as well as the regulations that limit their application in food packaging. Further, this review releases the current-state-of-the-art of the use of films and edible coatings as an alternative to conventional packaging, providing the main features that these biodegradable packaging should meet towards specific uses for the conservation and improvement of various food products. Herein, particular attention has been paid to the main used components (e.g., biopolymers, additives, bioactive, and probiotic components), manufacturing methods (for edible films or coatings) and their application to specific products. In addition, an outlook of the application of edible films and coatings as quality indicators of perishable products is shown.

Dextran is an exopolysaccharide (EPS) synthesized by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) or their enzymes in the presence of sucrose. Dextran is composed of a linear chain of d-glucoses linked by α-(1→6) bonds, with possible branches of d-glucoses linked by α-(1→4), α-(1→3), or α-(1→2) bonds, which can be low (40 kDa). The characteristics of dextran in terms of molecular weight and branches depend on the producing strain, so there is a great variety in its properties. Dextran has commercial interest because its solubility, viscosity, and thermal and rheological properties allow it to be used in food, pharmaceutical, and research areas. The aim of this review article is to compile the latest research (in the past decade) using LAB to synthesize high or low molecular weight dextran. In addition, studies using modified enzymes to produce dextran with specific structural characteristics (molecular weights and branches) are addressed. On the other hand, special attention is paid to LAB extracted from unconventional sources to expose their capacities as dextran producers and their possible application to compete with the only commercial strain (Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B512).

Spray-drying is a continuous encapsulation method that effectively preserves, stabilizes, and retards the degradation of bioactive compounds by encapsulating them within a wall material. The resulting capsules exhibit diverse characteristics influenced by factors such as operating conditions (e.g., air temperature and feed rate) and the interactions between the bioactive compounds and the wall material. This review aims to compile recent research (within the past 5 years) on spray-drying for bioactive compound encapsulation, emphasizing the significance of wall materials in spray-drying and their impact on encapsulation yield, efficiency, and capsule morphology.

Biodegradable films emerge as alternative biomaterials to conventional packaging from fossil sources, which, in addition to offering protection and increasing the shelf life of food products, are ecologically sustainable. The materials mostly used in their formulation are based on natural polysaccharides, plasticizing agents, and bioactive components (e.g., antimicrobial agents or antioxidants). The formulation of biodegradable films from polysaccharides and various plasticizers represents an alternative for primary packaging that can be assigned to specific food products, which opens the possibility of having multiple options of biodegradable films for the same product. This review describes the main characteristics of the most abundant polysaccharides in nature and highlights their role in the formulation of biodegradable films. The compilation and discussion emphasize studies that report on the mechanical and barrier properties of biodegradable films when made from pure polysaccharides and when mixed with other polysaccharides and plasticizing agents.

Some of the current challenges faced by the food industry deal with the natural ripening process and the short shelf-life of fresh and minimally processed products. The loss of vitamins and minerals, lipid oxidation, enzymatic browning, and growth of microorganisms have been the main issues for many years within the innovation and improvement of food packaging, which seeks to preserve and protect the product until its consumption. Most of the conventional packaging are petroleum-derived plastics, which after product consumption becomes a major concern due to environmental damage provoked by their difficult degradation. In this sense, many researchers have shown interest in edible films and coatings, which represent an environmentally friendly alternative for food packaging. To date, chitosan (CS) is among the most common materials in the formulation of these biodegradable packaging together with polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids. The good film-forming and biological properties (i.e., antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral) of CS have fostered its usage in food packaging. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to collect and discuss the latest development works (over the last five years) aimed at using CS in the manufacture of edible films and coatings for food preservation. Particular attention has been devoted to relevant findings in the field, together with the novel preparation protocols of such biodegradable packaging. Finally, recent trends in new concepts of composite films and coatings are also addressed.

Industries in the agro‐food sector are the largest generators of waste in the world. Agro‐food wastes and by products originate from the natural process of senescence, pretreatment, handling, and manufacturing processes of food and beverage products. Notably, most of the wastes are produced with the transformation of raw materials (such as fruits, vegetables, plants, tubers, cereals, and dairy products) into different processed foods (e.g., jams, sauces, and canned fruits/vegetables), dairy derivatives (e.g., cheese and yogurt), and alcoholic (e.g., wine and beer) and nonalcoholic beverages (e.g., juices and soft drinks). Current research is committed not only to the usage of agro‐food wastes and by products as a potential source of high‐value bioactive compounds (e.g., phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, and organic acids) but also to the implementation of emerging and innovative technologies that can compete with conventional extraction methods for the efficient extraction of such biomolecules from the residues. Herein, specific valorization technologies, such as membrane‐based processes, microwave, ultrasound, pulsed electric‐assisted extraction, supercritical/subcritical fluids, and pressurized liquids, have emerged as advanced techniques in extracting various added‐value biomolecules, showing multiple advantages (improved extraction yields, reduced process time, and protection to the bioactive properties of the compounds). Hence, this comprehensive review aims to analyze the ongoing research on applying such techniques in valorization protocols. A last‐five‐year review, together with a featured analysis of the relevant findings in the field, is provided.