The beneficial role of plant based thymol in food packaging application: A comprehensive review

Abstract

The improvement of food-borne and infectious diseases has expanded globally at an anomalous rate and is combined with developing social and economic issues. This highlights the need for new and progressed antimicrobial agents with novel and different mechanisms of action at regular intervals. Nowadays, consumers are demanding alternative, green, safer, and common food additives to extend the shelf life of food. Thymol, a monoterpene isomer, extracted from the thyme plant has shown antioxidant, antibacterial, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, and antitumor properties. They also have applications in functional food formulations, influencing food quality and having a positive impact on human health. The thymol-incorporated film is used to preserve vegetables, fruits, meat, and dairy products. This review summarizes the significance of thymol in active packaging film for packing food products. It also compares the bioactivity of thymol to other bioactive compounds and their synergistic effect with other bioactive compounds.

Keywords

• Thymol
• Essential oil
• Antimicrobial
• Antioxidant
• Packaging film
• Nanoencapsulation