Food spoilage and packaging solutions: key Mediterranean case studies
Abstract
The Mediterranean agri-food sector represents a model of millennial evolution, with a deep connection to lifestyle and a unique biodiversity of edible resources, renowned for its ability to combine well-being, health, and resilience. This reference, in terms of production and consumption, is currently facing growing challenges: evolving lifestyles, global economic changes, pollution, climate change, and resource scarcity. In this context, the sustainable transition of food systems represents a priority to facilitate change, ensuring producers and consumers can adhere to a dietary and lifestyle pattern traditionally observed in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea ('Mediterranean' style). This review examines the diversity of food production, the complexity of spoilage mechanisms, and the evolution of packaging strategies to identify critical case studies in the Mediterranean region, advancing frontier research in packaging technology and supporting the development of innovative, waste-reducing solutions. In this review article, five food categories (fruit and vegetables, seafood, dairy, bread, and meat) were selected based on their relevance to Mediterranean systems and the diversity of issues, providing a comparative insight into spoilage mechanisms and storage requirements. The selection of a limited number of representative food case studies is essential to ensure consistency, reproducibility, and interdisciplinary collaboration, especially in a complex context like the Mediterranean. This review encourages collaborative and interdisciplinary research and a positive interaction among sustainable packaging innovation, the valorisation of microbial resources, and targeted spoilage management. These strategies are crucial to reducing food waste & loss, supporting the principles of a circular economy, and preserving the potential of Mediterranean agri-food production and consumption systems.
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BibTeX
@article{chiara2026food,
title = {{Food spoilage and packaging solutions: key Mediterranean case studies}},
author = {Maria Lucia Valeria de Chiara and Ines Essid and Olfa Daaloul and Hana Mallek and Valérie Guillard and Fanny Coffigniez and Mina Hariri and Sarah Lammi and Mia Kurek and Nour M H Awad and Asmaa M Abushady and Adilson R Locali-Pereira and Nadia Ribeiro and Cristina Silva Pereira and Gulden Goksen and Marta Olivares and Vittorio Capozzi},
journal = {Food Research International},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.foodres.2026.118446},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05805523v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Food spoilage and packaging solutions: key Mediterranean case studies
AU - Maria Lucia Valeria de Chiara
AU - Ines Essid
AU - Olfa Daaloul
AU - Hana Mallek
AU - Valérie Guillard
AU - Fanny Coffigniez
AU - Mina Hariri
AU - Sarah Lammi
AU - Mia Kurek
AU - Nour M H Awad
AU - Asmaa M Abushady
AU - Adilson R Locali-Pereira
AU - Nadia Ribeiro
AU - Cristina Silva Pereira
AU - Gulden Goksen
AU - Marta Olivares
AU - Vittorio Capozzi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Food Research International
DO - 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.118446
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05805523v1
AB - The Mediterranean agri-food sector represents a model of millennial evolution, with a deep connection to lifestyle and a unique biodiversity of edible resources, renowned for its ability to combine well-being, health, and resilience. This reference, in terms of production and consumption, is currently facing growing challenges: evolving lifestyles, global economic changes, pollution, climate change, and resource scarcity. In this context, the sustainable transition of food systems represents a priority to facilitate change, ensuring producers and consumers can adhere to a dietary and lifestyle pattern traditionally observed in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea ('Mediterranean' style). This review examines the diversity of food production, the complexity of spoilage mechanisms, and the evolution of packaging strategies to identify critical case studies in the Mediterranean region, advancing frontier research in packaging technology and supporting the development of innovative, waste-reducing solutions. In this review article, five food categories (fruit and vegetables, seafood, dairy, bread, and meat) were selected based on their relevance to Mediterranean systems and the diversity of issues, providing a comparative insight into spoilage mechanisms and storage requirements. The selection of a limited number of representative food case studies is essential to ensure consistency, reproducibility, and interdisciplinary collaboration, especially in a complex context like the Mediterranean. This review encourages collaborative and interdisciplinary research and a positive interaction among sustainable packaging innovation, the valorisation of microbial resources, and targeted spoilage management. These strategies are crucial to reducing food waste & loss, supporting the principles of a circular economy, and preserving the potential of Mediterranean agri-food production and consumption systems.
SN - 0963-9969
ER -