Current applications of exopolysaccharides from lactic acid bacteria in the development of food active edible packaging

The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are usually recognized as safe for consumption and comprise several genera with different technological and health-promoting potential for food applications, including probiotic characteristics. Their exopolysaccharides (EPS) have interesting film-forming properties and may be used to produce edible packaging, as a structural enhancer, a bioactive agent or probiotic carrier in edible films and coatings. In these days, there is a specific demand for food products with reduced addition of artificial additives and from renewable sources, and the LAB EPS meet these criteria with additional bioactive functions, like antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. This makes the LAB EPS good choices for the production of edible food packaging, which highlight the need of investing in this study area.

Automated summary

LAB EPS have film-forming properties and can be used for edible packaging production, while also possessing additional bioactive functions like antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, making them a good choice for edible food packaging production.