In the last decade, a great interest in the use of carbohydrate polymers as smart and active polymer systems in the food industry has emerged. Such polymers has been sucessfully applied as carrier systems for entrapped micronutrients, antioxidant packaging systems and food quality indicators. Smart and active polymers technology has the potential to drive the development of a new generation of intelligent packaging systems, as well as of microparticles, that contributes to the monitoring and extension of food products shelf-life. Therefore, techniques for the preparation and characterization of smart and active carbohydrate polymers films and microparticles, their challenges and state-of-the-art, as well as its potential applications to the food industry are discussed in this chapter.