Carbon dots for intelligent food packaging: Innovations and applications

Sustainable polysaccharide-based materials for intelligent packaging

Polysaccharide-based food packaging and intelligent packaging applications: A comprehensive review

Food packaging offers essential food safety to the consumers. Conventional plastic-based food packaging offers only ordinary physical protection and may sometimes accelerate plastic pollution. Approximately one-third of all packaged foods are known to spoil in the supply chain mainly because of ordinary food packaging. Active, smart, intelligent, and nanocomposite food packaging measures offer many advantages over conventional food packing to retain quality while ensuring extended shelf-life. Natural fruits, vegetables, and tea are abundant source of polyphenols. Notably, recent trends in research demonstrate the utilization of natural polyphenols sourced from food-waste materials for sustainable use in active/smart/intelligent/nanocomposite food packaging. In this narrative review, we explore studies on active, smart, and intelligent food packaging films prepared using natural and food-waste polyphenols. The active packaging films/pads prepared using food-waste polyphenols and fruit polyphenols offer excellent antibacterial, antioxidant, antibrowning, and health-friendly effects. Thus, active, smart, and intelligent packaging materials using natural and food-waste polyphenols help to extend the shelf life of food and ensure minimal wastage of packed food. In addition, some of the active packaging films are edible while some others are biodegradable. In conclusion, the present review is expected to be helpful for promoting more sustainable use of food-waste-polyphenol-based active, smart, and intelligent food packing research.

Electrospun nanofibers as food freshness and time-temperature indicators: A new approach in food intelligent packaging

Alizarin: Prospects and sustainability for food safety and quality monitoring applications

A 3D printing approach to intelligent food packaging

The demand for high food safety standards, spoilage prevention, and the minimization of food waste has spurred extensive investigation into intelligent food packaging. Within this field, considerable attention has been directed towards two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials owing to their exceptionally thin layered configuration and diverse physicochemical, electrical, optical, and thermal properties. These attributes render 2D nanomaterials highly suitable for enhancing sensing capabilities in intelligent packaging systems. This review delves into the forefront of research concerning the utilization of 2D nanomaterials in intelligent packaging applications. It provides a comprehensive survey of intelligent food packaging concepts and explores various 2D materials, including graphene-based materials, MXene, and silicate clay, investigated for their potential in intelligent packaging systems. Additionally, the review interprets the structure, properties, and utilization of 2D materials in diverse biosensing systems encompassing gas, moisture, pH, and bacteria sensors, indicators, or wireless tags. Moreover, it examines the influence of 2D materials on the mechanical, optical, thermal, barrier, and bioactive properties of smart packaging, while also deliberating on their respective advantages and limitations. By combining these foundational elements, this study offers a distinctive and thorough contribution to the domain of food packaging, laying the groundwork for the future development of sustainable and high-performance packaging materials.

Electrospun Nanofibers

Antimicrobial function of some nano and nanocomposite materials has long been recognized and exploited in various industries, including the packaging sector. Nanocomoposite antimicrobial systems are particularly effective, because of the high surface-to-volume ratio and enhanced surface reactivity of the nanosized antimicrobial agents, making them able to inactivate microorganisms more effectively than their micro- or macro-scale counterparts. Commonly used or tested antimicrobial nano and nanocomposite materials include metal ions (silver, copper, gold, platinum), metal oxide (titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide), and organically modified nanoclay (quaternary ammonium-modified montmorillonite [MMT]). Natural biopolymers (chitosan), natural antimicrobial agents (nisin, thymol, carvacrol, isothiocyanate, antibiotics), enzymes (peroxidase, lysozyme), and synthetic antimicrobial agents and organic acids (quaternary ammonium salts, EDTA, propionic, benzoic, sorbic acids) are also utilized to provide antimicrobial function. In addition, various combinations of such antimicrobials are exploited by incorporating into packaging materials expecting their synergistic effect. The novel nanocomposite packaging materials with antimicrobial functions have a high potential for an active food packaging.

Food packaging presents a critical link between production and consumption, ensuring safety, quality, and shelf-life of food. While conventional packaging primarily focuses on preserving food quality and conveying product information, intelligent packaging technologies are designed to go beyond these functions. The advancement of intelligent packaging offers real-time monitoring to further protect food integrity and consumer safety. In this review, we aim to systematically present the advancements in intelligent food packaging driven by the use of nanomaterials, AI/ML techniques, and their integrated applications. This review begins with an in-depth analysis of various nanomaterials suitable for intelligent food packaging applications. It further explores the significance of AI/ML techniques in advancing food packaging, with a dedicated section detailing the principles and applications of AI/ML approaches in this domain. The subsequent section highlights the synergistic integration of nanomaterials and AI/ML, combining material innovation with intelligent automation. Nanomaterials offer diverse functionalities that enhance food packaging performance. When combined with AI/ML driven predictive and real-time monitoring capabilities, they transform conventional food packaging into intelligent systems. This integration offers a unified framework for enhanced performance, sustainability, and autonomous management across food supply chain. However, successful commercialization requires addressing challenges of scalability, cost-effectiveness, regulatory compliance, and consumer acceptance.

Carbon dioxide sensors for intelligent food packaging applications

Packaging is considered essential for protecting food from spoilage and enhancing food safety. Synthetic, petrochemical-derived plastics are commonly utilized, but improper use and inadequate recycling have resulted in severe environmental impacts and have imposed serious health risks. To address these concerns, biopolymer-based plastics with active and intelligent functions have been increasingly emphasized in the field of food science, with the goal of improving food safety and reducing packaging waste. In this context, gluten, a protein-based biopolymer, could be useful alternative to synthetic polymer and as well as an emerging tactic to fabricate edible and sustainable active and intelligent packaging. Eventhough there are only few article published on gluten-based packaging but yet it received significant attention to the researcher recently. No review comprehensively elucidated the potential of gluten in smart packaging application. This review primarily focuses on the advances in gluten in active and intelligent packaging film. The chemistry, properties, and source of gluten are briefly introduced and followed by the fabrication, characteristics, and properties of active and intelligent system. Gluten-based active and intelligent packaging used to maintain and monitoring various food products while they are being stored are discussed and then, the challenges and future scope of this packaging are debated. It has been demonstrated that gluten may be utilized to create functional smart food packaging. Active and intelligent packaging film/coatings can be developed by mixing gluten and other biopolymers with active ingredients. Gluten-based films and coatings have been shown to be effective in extending shelf-life and enabling real-time monitoring of spoilage in both fresh and processed foods.

This study reviews recent advancements in food science and technology, analyzing their impact on the development of intelligent food packaging within the complex food supply chain. Modern food technology has brought about intelligent food packaging, which includes sensors, indicators, data carriers, and artificial intelligence. This innovative packaging helps monitor food quality and safety. These innovations collectively aim to establish an unbroken chain of food safety, freshness, and traceability, from production to consumption. This research explores the components and technologies of intelligent food packaging, focusing on key indicators like time–temperature indicators, gas indicators, freshness indicators, and pathogen indicators to ensure optimal product quality. It further incorporates various types of sensors, including gas sensors, chemical sensors, biosensors, printed electronics, and electronic noses. It integrates data carriers such as barcodes and radio-frequency identification to enhance the complexity and functionality of this system. The review emphasizes the growing influence of artificial intelligence. It looks at new advances in artificial intelligence that are driving the development of intelligent packaging, making it better at preserving food freshness and quality. This review explores how modern food technologies, especially artificial intelligence integration, are revolutionizing intelligent packaging for food safety, quality, reduced waste, and enhanced traceability.

Changes in the way foods are produced, distributed, stored and retailed, reflecting the continuing increase in consumer demands for improved quality and extended shelf-life for packaged foods, are placing ever-greater demands on the performance of food packaging. Consumers want to be assured that the packaging is fulfilling its function of protecting the integrity, quality, freshness and safety of foods. To provide this assurance and help improve the performance of the packaging, innovative active and intelligent packaging concepts are being developed and applied in various countries. In Europe, however, the development and application of active and intelligent packaging systems have been limited thus far. The main reasons are legislative restrictions and a lack of knowledge about consumer acceptance, the efficacy of such systems, and the economic and environmental impact they may have. Therefore, in 1999, a European study was started within the framework of the EU FAIR R&D programme. It aims to initiate amendments to European legislation for food-contact materials to establish and implement active and intelligent systems within the current relevant regulations for packaged food in Europe. This paper presents an overview of existing active and intelligent systems and their current and future food-related applications. In addition, developments and trends in active and intelligent food packaging are discussed. The objectives and the work programme of the European project are reviewed and the results obtained so far are presented. The benefits for both the European consumer and the European food and food-packaging industries are highlighted.

Market implementation of active and intelligent packaging (AIP) technologies specifically for fiber-based food packaging can be hindered by various factors. This paper highlights those from a social, economic, environmental, and legislative point of view, and elaborates upon the following aspects mainly related to interactions among food packaging value chain stakeholders: (i) market drivers that affect developments, (ii) the gap between science and industry, (iii) the gap between legislation and practice, (iv) cooperation between the producing stakeholders within the value chain, and (v) the gap between the industry and consumers. We perceive these as the most influential aspects in successful market implementation at a socioeconomic level. The findings are supported by results from quantitative studies analyzing consumer buying expectations about active and intelligent packaging (value perception of packaging functions, intentions to purchase AIP, and willingness to pay more) executed in 16 European countries. Finally, in this paper, we discuss approaches that could direct future activities in the field towards industrial implementation.