Antimicrobial peptides are protein fragments present in the innate immune systems of invertebrates and vertebrates as host defense molecules. Due to their unique properties, these compounds have several useful appliances in human health by potentially playing antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antitumor roles. The incorporation of antimicrobial peptides into polymer matrices as delivery systems has been studied recently with further interest towards the fields of medicine, pharmacy, personal care, and food packaging. The consumers' tendency to demand more natural products has paved the route for food industries to explore novel mechanisms as food preservation techniques. Antimicrobial peptide-containing active packaging materials emerge as a promising approach to retard food spoilage and increase food safety and shelf life. This text presents a comprehensive review of antimicrobial peptides, from synthesis procedures to mechanisms of action, with an emphasis on nisin. A historical outlook and the current perspectives of their potential applications in food packaging systems are also addressed.

抗菌肽是作为宿主防御分子存在于无脊椎动物和脊椎动物的先天免疫系统中的蛋白质片段。由于它们的独特性质，这些化合物通过潜在地发挥抗菌，抗病毒，抗真菌和抗肿瘤的作用，在人类健康中具有多种有用的用途。最近已经研究了将抗微生物肽作为递送系统掺入聚合物基质中，对医学，药学，个人护理和食品包装领域有进一步的兴趣。消费者需求更多天然产品的趋势为食品工业探索新的机制作为食品保存技术铺平了道路。含抗菌肽的活性包装材料作为一种有前途的方法来延缓食品变质并增加食品安全性和保质期。本文对抗菌肽进行了全面的综述，从合成程序到作用机理，重点是乳链菌肽。还讨论了其在食品包装系统中的潜在应用的历史前景和当前观点。