Edible films and coatings have been extensively studied in recent years due to their unique properties and advantages over more traditional conservation techniques. Edible films and coatings improve shelf life and food quality, by providing a protective barrier against physical and mechanical damage, and by creating a controlled atmosphere and acting as a semipermeable barrier for gases, vapor, and water. Edible films and coatings are produced using naturally derived materials, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids, or a mixture of these materials. These films and coatings also offer the possibility of incorporating different functional ingredients such as nutraceuticals, antioxidants, antimicrobials, flavoring, and coloring agents. Films and coatings are also able to incorporate living microorganisms. In the last decade, several works reported the incorporation of bacteria to confer probiotic or antimicrobial properties to these films and coatings. The incorporation of probiotic bacteria in films and coatings allows them to reach the consumers’ gut in adequate amounts to confer health benefits to the host, thus creating an added value to the food product. Also, other microorganisms, either bacteria or yeast, can be incorporated into edible films in a biocontrol approach to extend the shelf life of food products. The incorporation of yeasts in films and coatings has been suggested primarily for the control of the postharvest disease. This work provides a comprehensive review of the use of edible films and coatings for the incorporation of living microorganisms, aiming at the biopreservation and probiotic ability of food products.

中文翻译：

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可食用的薄膜和涂层作为微生物的载体：生物保存和更健康食品的新策略

近年来，可食用的薄膜和涂层由于其独特的性能和相对于传统保护技术的优势而得到了广泛的研究。可食用的薄膜和涂层可提供保护层，以防止物理和机械损坏，并通过形成受控的气氛并充当气体，蒸气和水的半渗透性屏障，从而提高了货架期和食品质量。可食用的薄膜和涂层是使用天然来源的材料制成的，例如多糖，蛋白质和脂质，或这些材料的混合物。这些薄膜和涂层还提供了掺入不同功能成分（如保健食品，抗氧化剂，抗菌剂，调味剂和着色剂）的可能性。薄膜和涂层也能够掺入活的微生物。在过去的十年中，几篇著作报道了细菌的掺入赋予这些薄膜和涂层以益生菌或抗菌的作用。薄膜和包衣中掺入益生菌使它们能够以足够的量到达消费者的肠道，从而为宿主带来健康益处，从而为食品创造附加值。同样，可以通过生物防治方法将其他微生物（细菌或酵母菌）掺入可食用薄膜中，以延长食品的保质期。已经建议在膜和涂层中掺入酵母主要是为了控制收获后疾病。这项工作全面审查了可食用薄膜和涂层用于掺入活微生物的用途，旨在食品的生物保存和益生菌能力。