Ensuring the safety and quality of food is one of the main focuses of the field of food industry. Different active materials are currently being studied to extend the useful life of food products. Metal–Organic Framework (MOF) materials have emerged in the last years as a promising alternative owing to their excellent porosity, high loading capacity, controlled release ability and ease of surface modification. The main motivation of this thesis is to evaluate the possible use of different MOFs, their miniaturization and processing, and their use as encapsulating agents of active molecules of natural origin, with the aim of developing intelligent hybrid materials of interest in the food and disinfection industry. The objectives of this thesis are summarized in four points: (1) Systematic evaluation of the feasibility of nanoMOFs as essential oil carrier agents following a direct impregnation methodology. (2) Incorporation of a composite biomolecule@MOF material into biopolymeric films and evaluation of the MOF ability to stabilize and govern the release of the bioactive molecule. (3) Obtention of a series of biomolecule@MOF biocomposites and study of their fungicidal effect after integration into biopolymeric films. (3) Synthesis and characterization of Mixed-Metal MUV-2 analogues (MM-MUV-2), as well as suitability determination of the materials as macrobiomolecule carriers. The thesis is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 corresponds to a general introduction to the field of MOFs and their biorelated applications, from drug delivery, biomedicine, cosmetics, and remediation to their implementation into food industry, presenting the importance of essential oils and its derivatives in this later field, and discussing the MOF candidates for encapsulation employed throughout this Thesis. Chapter 2 presents a systematic study in which the suitability of MOFs as essential oil encapsulating agents is determined. Furthermore, a direct impregnation method is developed, where it was found that biomolecule encapsulation was favoured under aqueous-alcoholic mixtures (in which these molecules are poorly soluble), this parameter resulting key for a successful encapsulation. In total, twelve new biocomposites were obtained and analysed. The presence of the biomolecules in the composites was evidenced for each encapsulation product. Considering the analysed results, MIL-100(Fe) and ZIF-8 are presented as the most promising carrier agents for their great loading capacity, the affordability and availability of their precursors, and their greener synthetic protocol. After selecting the best performing scaffolds, in Chapter 3 the implementation of a biomolecule@MOF composite into biopolymeric films and its antibacterial activity are studied, thoroughly elucidating the chemical interactions between the guest molecule and the host framework. In this chapter, a carvacrol@MIL-100(Fe) biocompatible composite containing considerable payloads of active agent is prepared following a direct impregnation method. In addition to provide chemical stability to the active molecule, MIL-100(Fe) scaffold endorses an unprecedented retained and remarkable sustained delivery of the antimicrobial agent when processed in polymeric biofilms, because of its unique redox responsiveness that promotes effective interactions with the active agent. Mossbauer spectroscopy supported by theoretical calculations revealed a successful reversible interaction of the carvacrol molecules with the redox-active MIL-100(Fe) scaffold, thus enabling a prolonged delivery. The released carvacrol dose was enough to fight bacterial pathogens, with an improved activity against E. Coli and L. innocua in comparison with an equivalent “free” carvacrol dosage. The combination of a direct preparation, the facile processing and the scaffold-mediated delivery performance that enables prolonged carvacrol bactericide activity, make the obtained carvacrol@MIL-100(Fe) composite a promising candidate for food packaging applications. Chapter 4 concerns the obtention of a series of biomolecule@MOF composites with enhanced antifungal properties. Four ZIF-8-based biocomposites containing benzaldehyde, salicylaldehyde, methyl anthranilate or guaiacol, are obtained adapting the direct infiltration method previously developed and described in chapter 2. The encapsulation kinetics were evaluated, resulting in a surprisingly fast encapsulation process, where the infiltration of the biomolecule occurs almost immediately with effective loadings of ca. 20-30 %. Of the four obtained composites, Bz@ZIF-8 and MA@ZIF-8 were employed in antifungal activity essays. The released benzaldehyde and methyl anthranilate dose was enough to oppose fungal growth, with an improved activity against Penicilium expansum in comparison with the “free” biomolecule after integration in biopolymeric films. The prepared bimolecule@ZIF-8 composites are potential options for food packaging applications due to their direct preparation and simple processing, and a scaffold-mediated performance that permits an enhanced antifungal action. Finally, in Chapter 5, the encapsulation of macrobiomolecules is targeted by synthetizing mixed-metal hierarchical mesoporous MOFs following a green chemistry route. Two new Mixed-Metal MOF derivatives of MUV-2(Fe) with empirical formula (TTFTB)3[(Fe2MIIO)(H2O)2]2 (MII = Co, Ni), are obtained in this chapter. The synthetized materials are isostructural with the crystalline MUV-2 (as confirmed by their diffraction patterns) and present and analogous breathing behaviour upon solvent exposure. The development of a green synthesis approach replaces the harmful DMF solvent preliminary used with the aim to move towards environment friendly methodologies and scalable processes. Taking advantage of the hierarchical mesoporous nature of the framework, the performance of these materials as larger bioactive molecule carriers was evaluated. Preliminary results showcase composites with high estimated lysozyme loadings (up to 40 %) following an infiltration methodology.