Emir. J. Food Agric. 2012. 25 (3): 177-188 doi: 10.9755/ejfa.v25i3.11509 http://www.ejfa.info/ 177 NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCE Application of plastics and paper as food packaging materials – An overview Dele Raheem Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, P.O. Box 56, University of Helsinki, Finland Abstract The role of plastics and paper as food packaging materials is reviewed with a brief outlook on the historical background of food packages in general. The inherent properties of these food packages that should be considered by food processors are also discussed. The current efforts in meeting the needs of consumers in ensuring food’s quality with prolonged shelf life during storage and distribution were highlighted. This review article also reflects on the emerging trends in technology that address innovations on Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), Active packaging (AP), Intelligent packaging (IP) and the use of anti-microbial agents to extend the shelf life of foods under storage and distribution conditions. The future of these packaging materials in the food industries and their impacts on the environment and the society at large will continue to receive attention. Key words: Food, Packaging materials, Paper, Plastics, Antimicrobial Introduction Packaging materials provide a means to preserve, protect, merchandise, market and distribute foods. They play a significant role in how these products reach the consumers in a safe and wholesome form without compromising quality. The relationship between the food and contact with the packaging material continuously interact and contribute to changes that can occur over time in these products. It is therefore important that several factors are considered when choosing the right package for a particular food product. Generally, the packaging material may either be rigid or flexible. Rigid containers include glass and plastic bottles and jars, cans, pottery, wood boxes, drums, tins, plastic pots and tubes. They give physical protection to the food inside that is not provided by flexible packaging. Flexible packaging is a major group of materials that includes plastic films, papers, foil, some types of vegetable fibres and cloths that can be used to make wrappings, sacks and sealed or unsealed bags. Both flexible and rigid packaging materials, alone or in combination with other preservation methods, have been developed to offer the necessary barrier, inactivation, and containment properties required for successful food packaging. The combination of rigid packaging materials made from metal, glass, or plastic with heat was shown to provide the most effective and widely used method for inactivating microorganisms (Cutter, 2002). However, there are other means by which plastic or paper packaging materials can inactivate microorganisms associated with foods, they include controlled atmosphere, vacuum, modified atmosphere, active, and edible packaging (Suppakul et al., 2003). Since early man first used a variety of locally available natural containers to store and eat foods, significant developments in food packaging materials have provided the means to lower the growth of microbes as well as protect foods from external microbial contamination. Packaging materials were developed over the years to prevent the deterioration of foods by microbes resulting from exposure to air, moisture, or pH changes associated with the food or its surrounding atmosphere. Food industries have to decide which packaging material will be more appropriate for their food product taking note of the advantages and disadvantages of their choice or perhaps what other attributes can be incorporated in the packaging material based on the end use properties of the food product. This review is mainly on the characteristics of plastics, paper as flexible Received 16 March 2012; Revised 30 July 2012; Accepted 16 August 2012; Published Online 02 December 2012 *Corresponding Author Dele Raheem Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, P.O. Box 56, University of Helsinki, Finland Email: draheem@gmail.com