have been proposed to improve the barrier and mechanical proper- ties of chitosan-based films. To improve water-barrier properties. hydrophobic compounds, such as lipids. are usually included in the polymer matrix. Over recent years different works have studied the use of fatty acids as lipid components to be incorporated in chitosan films to modulate the water vapor barrier. The incorporation of plant essential o into these films represents an interesting alternative to lipids. Essential oils extracted from plants or spices are rich sources of phenolic compounds, and have been demonstrated to have a wide spectrum of antimicrobial activity.Despite the essential oils' potential for food preservation, their usage is often restricted because of their intense aroma, toxicity problems and possible changes in the organoleptic properties of the food . To avoid this problem, an interesting approach to inhibit their diffusion into food products is to incorporate them into the chemical structure ofthe film.Furthermore, compared ith direct application, use of edible coatings to carry essential oils could reduce the required doses of essential oils by the encapsula- tion effect in the polymer matrix, thus reducing the oils negative impact.