Use of edible films and coatings in cheese preservation: Opportunities and challenges.

In the last years, there has been a growing interest in the use of edible materials in food packaging. The cheese industry is clearly one of the sectors where these materials have a good opportunity for application, as shown by the recent developments on edible coatings and films for cheese. Edible coatings and films, besides its edibility, can be used to reduce weight loss and prevent the microbiological spoilage through the control of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange rate and as a carrier of antimicrobial compounds. This review summarizes the recent results on edible films and coatings for cheese, the main developments and the main future perspectives for the application of these materials in the cheese industry.