Applications in Pickering Emulsions of Enhancing Preservation Properties: Current Trends and Future Prospects in Active Food Packaging Coatings and Films

Background Advanced food preservation technologies are essential for extending shelf life, ensuring food safety, and maintaining nutritional values. This underscores the distinctive characteristics of Pickering emulsions, which diverge from traditional emulsions by utilizing solid particles at the oil-water interface. This approach not only enhances stability but also minimizes the dependence on synthetic surfactants. This aligns with the increasing consumer demand for natural products, highlighting their innovative applications in the food industry. Scope and approach The review extends to a thorough exploration of the specific mechanisms through which Pickering emulsions stabilize food. This includes their roles in encapsulating and delivering natural preservatives, antioxidants, and antimicrobial agents. Additionally, it discusses the principles and characteristics of Pickering emulsions, focusing on how their application in active food packaging coatings and films enhances textural and functional properties, thereby contributing to food preservation, safety, and quality. Key findings and conclusions The review emphasizes the potential of Pickering emulsions to revolutionize food preservation. By leveraging their unique capabilities, these emulsions provide significant advantages over traditional methods. The encapsulation and delivery of active compounds through Pickering emulsions are particularly noted for their efficiency and effectiveness in improving the safety and extending the shelf life of food products, as well as enhancing the performance and durability of active food packaging coatings and films, illustrating the critical role these emulsions could play in the future of food technology.