Nanohybrid active fillers in food contact bio-based materials

Nanohybrid active fillers are gaining interest from basic and applied research, due to their potential to provide quality and safety benefits. Great attention has been devoted in the last decade to the hybrid organic-inorganic systems, in particular to those in which inorganic materials are dispersed at a nanometric level in polymeric matrices. This review presents some important examples of the most used inorganic nanometric fillers, with antimicrobial activity for potential active packaging applications. Particular emphasis is given to biodegradable polymer matrices such as aliphatic polyesters, polysaccharides, proteins, and their blends. As food contact materials, they present the possibility of being carriers of different additives, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, nutraceuticals, and flavoring agents. Current regulation issues are also reported and discussed and possible trends and perspectives in the food contact field shortly commented.