The purpose of food Packaging is to preserve the quality and safety of the food it contains from the time of manufacture to the time it is used by the consumer. Recently, the demand for safe and high quality foods, as well as changes in consumer preferences have led to the development of innovative and novel approaches in food Packaging technology. One such development is the Active food Packaging technology. Active Packaging can be classified into two main kinds: non-migratory Active Packaging acting without intentional migration, and Active releasing Packaging allowing a controlled migration of non-volatile agents or an emission of volatile compounds in the atmosphere surrounding the food. Nonmigratory Active Packaging is a Packaging which elicits a desirable response from food systems without the Active component migrating from the Packaging into the food. The most well known examples of nonmigratory Active Packaging are oxygen and ethylene absorbers. Also carbon dioxide and antioxidant releaser are examples of migratory Active Packaging.

The presence of excessive quantities of compounds such as oxygen, moisture, ethylene and carbon dioxide in the Packaging of food products results in their vulnerability and spoilage. The rise of many new food products in the markets as well as consumer demands to constantly monitor the quality of goods until consumption, in addition to the necessity for lowering food corruption during preservation time, have led to the development of some modern Packaging technologies, such as Active Packaging. In this review, an overview of the techniques used in Active Packaging, including oxygen, ethylene, moisture, carbon dioxide, unpleasant flavors and odor scavengers, is provided. Oxygen scavengers, by removing this gas from the Packaging environment, prevent the growth of aerobic microorganisms, spoilage and minimize the quality changes of sensitive foods to oxygen. In order to remove ethylene from the headspace of climacteric products and as a result, reduce the rate of deterioration and increase their shelf life, this gas scavenger is used. The main purpose of using the moisture scavengers is to reduce the quantity of water activity of the product, which in turn inhibits microbial growth, and maintains the desired texture and nutrients. Carbon dioxide scavenging systems, by removing excess amounts of this gas, prevent the increase in pressure or volume of packages containing fermented and roasted food products, and flavor and odor scavengers improve the quality and desirability of food products. Also, in this study, the conventional methods used to remove compounds in Packaging, the mechanism of action, as well as the advantages of Active scavenging systems and their effect on maintaining the quality and shelf life of packaged food are investigated.

Active Packaging is one of the innovative food Packaging concepts which has been introduced to market as a reply to continuous changes in consumers demands. Active Packaging modifies the Packaging atmosphere condition in such a desirable way that results in shelf-life increase.In contrast to the traditional concept that Packaging should preserve the quality of the product with minimal product/Packaging interaction, new developments achieved in the last decades considers the benefits of interactions between package and product. Active modified Packaging has been used for food preservation over the last twenty five years specially in Japan and USA. The application of different kinds of this package is developing continuously.Active Packaging includes additives that can maintain the freshness of the product and have different potentialities. Active agents are in contact with food stuffs directly or indirectly and can be in the forms of oxygen and carbon dioxide scavengers, moisture and ethylene removers or emit ethanol and flavors.Those with the ability to change physical properties like self-heating or cooling are also considered an Active package.Active packages have been used for a variety of food stuffs such as cakes, pizzas, fresh dough, cheese, meats and its products, fruits, breads etc.

Today, the Packaging industry has become a powerful technology that can be used to minimize the activity of bacteria, mold and other disease-causing agents. The use of Active and intelligent technologies in food Packaging is increasing. In addition to delaying the environmental factors affecting food spoilage, this system uses a more dynamic method to preserve the product and maintain food quality and increase marketability. Active food Packaging technologies offer new opportunities to keep food safe. The purpose of this paper is to present the important Active Packaging systems known to date, which include: oxygen adsorbents, carbon dioxide scavengers / absorbers, moisture absorbers, ethylene adsorbents, ethanol emitters, release systems Flavors, temperature-time indicators, and films containing antimicrobials. This article describes the performance of each Active system. Recognizing the benefits of Active Packaging technologies by the food industry, developing cost-effective Active Packaging systems, and increasing consumer acceptance, open new frontiers for Active Packaging. Continued innovations in Active Packaging are expected to lead to further improvements in food quality, safety and stability.