The incorporation of gallic acid (GA) in a direct way or into nanoparticles included in chitosan edible films appears as a suitable approach to increase its preservation upon adverse conditions. The addition of nanoparticles to chitosan-based matrices resulted in improvements in their solubility, swelling, and mechanical properties. It is worth noting that by means of the nanoencapsulation, the release process can be modulated in relation to the delivery of GA included directly in the matrix, releasing the agent at a lower rate for a longer time. Films containing functionalized nanoparticles are promising as a means to develop tailor-made support matrices for improving the shelf stability of the included active compound. From the point of view of the antimicrobial activity, all studied films showed bacteriostatic activity against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> ATCC 25923, <i>Escherichia coli</i> ATCC 25922, <i>Salmonella</i> spp. and <i>Candida vinaria</i>. The results suggest that active films with nanoparticles could be a potential candidate for the support and controlled release of active compounds such as gallic acid.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasCentro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de AlimentosFacultad de Ingeniería