Essential Oils and Bioactive Compounds in Natural Biopolymer Films for Postharvest Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables: A Mini Review

Postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables are largely driven by microbial spoilage, moisture loss, and oxidative deterioration. Natural biopolymer-based films and edible coatings offer a sustainable route to mitigate these losses while serving as carriers for essential oils (EOs) and other plant-derived bioactives. This mini-review summarizes recent advances (2000–2025) on EO/bioactive-loaded polysaccharide-, protein-, lipid-, and composite-based films for postharvest preservation, with emphasis on incorporation strategies and controlled release. Preservative effects are mainly attributed to membrane disruption, enzyme inhibition, antibiofilm activity, and radical-scavenging/anti-peroxidation actions, complemented by the film’s barrier function that modulates O2/CO2/H2O transfer and slows respiration and senescence. Encapsulation and nanoemulsion approaches increasingly improve stability and prolong activity by reducing volatilization and enabling sustained delivery at the produce surface. However, translation remains constrained by compositional variability of natural extracts, activity loss under light/heat/oxygen, sensory thresholds, limited migration/safety evidence for active systems, and poor cross-study comparability due to non-standardized methods. Future work should prioritize standardized formulations and test protocols, release-kinetics modeling linked to efficacy, comprehensive migration/safety and sensory evaluation, and pilot-scale validation under realistic cold-chain logistics.