The post-farmgate agri-food value chain is highly vulnerable to socioeconomic and climate-related shocks and stressors, which significantly affect food system outcomes. Innovative solutions are needed to strengthen resilience, reduce losses, and improve the quality and safety of food. This review identifies and synthesizes promising post-farmgate innovations in food processing, packaging, and storage that have the potential to be scaled in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A literature review of the Web of Science, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases, supplemented by the Google Scholar and Google search tools, was performed by following the PRISMA-ScR guidance. A total of 82 studies reporting on 79 post-farmgate innovations were included. The identified innovations cluster around 5 domains: Cold chain solutions, solar drying technologies, agri-food business models, hermetic storage systems, and innovative food preservation and packaging solutions. While the food system outcomes of individual innovations vary, these patterns demonstrate potential to reduce food loss and waste, enhance shelf life, and promote sustainable healthy diets in LMICs. The review highlights factors that support and impede the adoption of post-farmgate innovations in LMICs and identifies critical gaps in evidence and practice. Addressing these gaps will be essential for scaling innovations that enhance the healthiness, equity, resilience, and sustainability of food systems.

Frequent changes in global climate enhance environmental cues, threaten agricultural systems, which jeopardizes food security, and impair the achievements of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 "Zero Hunger". To achieve a sustainable path, use of biostimulants represents a new strategy to enhance plant resilience against abiotic stresses like drought, temperature, salt, waterlogging, and heavy metals. This review explores recent developments in biostimulant technologies, aiming to clarify the processes that underlie their ability to promote plant tolerance. We also highlight the versatile roles of small RNA, peptides, and hormones as emerging molecular regulators, thereby revealing their potential for use as natural biostimulants. Developing on this, transformative effects of microbial biostimulants that use microbiota to strongly regulate plant stress-responsive modules are explored. Furthermore, AI-driven early warning systems provide the opportunity to identify timely stress responses, thus enabling the discovery of multi-omics network modules, allowing rational biostimulant design. These findings are then used to guide the metabolic engineering of tailored biostimulants, where the identified key regulators and network modules become direct targets for formulation or synthetic biology approaches. This review defines a roadmap for crop stress tolerance by clarifying the mechanisms of rationally designed biostimulants, thereby paving the way for climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable food systems.

Greenhouse agriculture plays a vital role in sustainable food production but also entails challenges such as high energy consumption and significant carbon emissions. To address these issues and evaluate the feasibility of adopting alternative energy sources such as green hydrogen, it is essential to precisely understand the spatial structure of agricultural facilities and accurately predict their energy demands. However, effectively processing real-world datasets—characterized by complex aerial imagery and severe class imbalance—remains a technical challenge. This study proposes a deep learning-based framework for accurately detecting and segmenting greenhouses using high-resolution aerial images. To improve object detection performance, a class-weighted loss function and a class-aware sampling strategy were integrated into the You Only Look Once 8 (YOLOv8) model to mitigate the effects of class imbalance. The proposed model achieved an overall mean average precision (mAP)@0.5:0.95 of 0.566, with precision increasing to 0.881 and recall improving to 0.822, demonstrating balanced and robust performance across classes. Additionally, the model was combined with the Segment Anything Model (SAM) to enhance segmentation precision, and its performance was compared against Open-World Localization Vision Transformer (OWL-ViT) + SAM and YOLOv8-only segmentation approaches. Experimental results show that the YOLOv8 + SAM (Fusion) configuration achieved the highest Intersection over Union (IoU) of 0.7588 and Dice coefficient (Dice) of 0.8578, demonstrating superior boundary accuracy and mask consistency compared to other methods. The joint application of class weighting and sampling improved recall for minority classes such as greenhouses, while SAM-based segmentation enhanced boundary fidelity and shape preservation. Based on the segmented areas, greenhouse surface areas were calculated, and a conservative energy consumption benchmark was applied to estimate annual energy demand. This research presents a practical baseline for evaluating the potential of renewable energy integration in agriculture and is expected to contribute to future strategies for achieving carbon neutrality and green hydrogen utilization in the agricultural sector.

Sweeteners occupy a pivotal role in the global transition toward sustainable, health-aligned, and resource-efficient food systems. Conventional sucrose production carries significant environmental burdens, while escalating metabolic health concerns intensify demand for viable alternatives. This paper reframes sweeteners not as commodity ingredients, but as digitally engineered, biologically manufactured, and circularity-optimized materials within the emerging bioeconomy. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), metabolic engineering, precision fermentation, and lignocellulosic valorization are fundamentally reshaping sweetener innovation. We introduce the Sweetener Innovation 4.0 framework, in which AI functions as the integrative engine linking molecular design, bioprocess optimization, and system-level sustainability. Across diverse sweetener classes, including steviol glycosides, mogrosides, rare sugars, sweet proteins, and forestry-derived polyols, AI accelerates discovery, improves metabolic flux control, optimizes downstream processing and enables more adaptive manufacturing systems. This digital–biological convergence is progressively decoupling sweetness production from land-intensive agriculture, reducing dependence on geographically constrained crops, and enabling resilient, low-carbon manufacturing pathways. Comparative life-cycle assessments highlight substantial sustainability gains, but also reveal persistent methodological gaps, particularly in accounting for downstream-processing energy and digital infrastructure emissions. Socioeconomic analysis further underscores the importance of equitable transitions, transparent labeling, and effective consumer communication as fermentation-derived sweeteners enter global markets. Looking forward, we identify key frontiers for Sweetener Innovation 4.0, including de novo AI-designed sweeteners, autonomous fermentation systems, carbon-negative feedstocks, personalized sweetness modulation, and integrated circular biorefineries. Together, these developments position sweeteners as a top domain for demonstrating how AI, biotechnology, and sustainability principles can jointly reshape ingredient development and industrial systems within the 21st-century circular-economy.

With the global population projected to continue to increase, the necessity for food security (i.e., a region’s ability to reliably provide food to its residents) becomes ever-present. Aquaculture is currently one of the most prevalent methods for propagating aquatic species, though aquaponics (i.e., combining aquaculture and hydroponics to artificially propagate aquatic species and plants) is often considered a more sustainable food production method in comparison. Though aquaponics is promising both environmentally and socially, the general aquaponics business model is failing to generate proper revenue in many instances. The addition of value-added and value-recovered processes is one option for producers to increase the value of their final products without major capital investment. A paper survey was deployed for this study for both aquaculture and aquaponics operations, given the current prevalence of aquaculture and infancy of aquaponics in the United States. The survey aims to understand the basic parameters of their operation while also gauging interest in the addition of value-added and value-recovered products for their operations. Less than half of the respondents were interested in value-added and value-recovered products for several different reasons. The survey also provides useful information related to operation, prior experiences, and potential future directions for aquaponics in the United States, though investigation into consumer preferences is required for optimized success of the aquaponics industry.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic compounds composed of fused aromatic rings, formed during the incomplete combustion of organic materials such as coal, oil, gas, wood, and biomass. This paper reviewed the impact of PAHs in the Niger-Delta Region in the Southern part of Nigeria and explored the activities that released them into the environment. The primary sources of PAHs in the Niger Delta are: Oil Extraction and Gas Flaring, Artisanal Crude Oil Refining, Agricultural Practices (Bush Burning and Biomass Burning), Vehicle Emissions and Industrial Activities, Waste Disposal and Landfills. The spatiotemporal distribution of PAHs in the Niger Delta reflects complex interactions between emission sources, seasonal weather patterns, and landscape characteristics, creating dynamic contamination gradients across the region. It is observed that PAHs in Nigeria waters, soil, and air are above the recommended permissible limits by different regulatory agencies in the developed countries such as European Union, United Kingdom, Netherland, Sweden, Canada, China and the World Health Organization (WHO), this call for concern. The PAHs pose enormous challenges in the region especially its negative effects on Agricultural practices and food sustainability as most communities dependent on subsistence agriculture, and lack access to soil and water remediation technologies or alternative livelihood options.

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces persistent challenges in achieving sustainable agricultural production and food and nutrition security. Traditional farming methods, climate change, poor infrastructure, obsolete technology, declining resources, and limited access to finance and markets, are factors exacerbating these problems. Meanwhile, availability of reliable and accurate data is crucial for efficient resource allocation and management in critical sectors of developing countries, including agriculture. In countries where resources are scarce, efficient resource use will not only reduce waste but also ensure appropriate prioritization of the countries’ developmental needs. Development will forever remain a mirage in countries where there are no accurate data to learn from the past, manage the present sustainably, and understand the future trajectories of problems and prospects for accelerated progress in key sectors. This paper adopts a nuanced approach to explore how accurate agricultural data and innovation jointly influence food security in Africa. The methodology follows a multistage process, beginning with an extensive search of peer-reviewed journals, policy documents, and regional case studies to establish a rigorous evidence base. It then provides careful contextualisation, drawing on credible sources and relevant examples within and beyond Africa to clarify key concepts and terminologies. Through this approach, the study identifies the core problem, unravels knowledge gaps, and highlights issues often overlooked in the literature. In SSA, data-driven innovations have been documented to assist in strengthening resilience against climate shocks and other agriculture-related risks through the facilitation of tailored advisory services, predictive analytics and early warning systems. The availability and accessibility of technologies that combine weather forecasts, soil data, and historical yield trends can help farmers to be proactive in planning for climatic risks, optimizing planting schedules, and improving crop yields. Also, data-enabled platforms are transforming access to credit and insurance through digital profiling and risk assessment models that evaluate farm-level data to determine creditworthiness and underwrite agricultural insurance more effectively. Thus, data-driven approaches leveraging advances in technology such as remote sensing, mobile platforms, big data analytics, and precision agriculture offer transformative opportunities in these countries. The productivity improvement and social inclusion objectives of the government and relevant stakeholders can only be achieved with accurate and timely data. The paper concludes by highlighting the prime place of data-driven innovation in agricultural sustainability for improved nutrition and food security as well as the key initiatives and policy re-engineering required to transform African food systems in general. Key words: Data, Africa, Sustainability, Agriculture, Digital technology, Food security

The development of edible films based on natural biopolymers, such as carrageenan, represents an effort to create environmentally friendly food packaging. The objective of this study was to develop a carrageenan-based edible film with the incorporation of High Internal Phase Emulsion (HIPE), which has been stabilized through ultrasonication with a view to enhancing the stability and functional properties of the film. The HIPE formulation employed alginate and soy protein isolate (SPI) as natural stabilizers, with soybean oil as the internal phase. The effects of sonication time (0–10 minutes) on the resulting droplet size and stability were investigated, and it was determined that 7 minutes was the optimal duration for achieving the best results. This condition was found to result in HIPE with high storage and centrifugal stability. The incorporation of HIPE into carrageenan matrix resulted in an increased film thickness, decreased water content and solubility, and increased the water contact angle, indicating improved moisture barrier properties. Mechanically, the increasing HIPE concentration reduced tensile strength, yet increased elongation at break, rendering the film more flexible. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis demonstrated homogeneous globule distribution, whilst FTIR confirmed the presence of hydrogen, electrostatic, and hydrophobic interactions between the components. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) results indicated enhanced thermal stability, with an observed increase in antioxidant activity up to 68% at the optimum HIPE concentration. The findings of this study demonstrate that the incorporation of ultrasonically stabilized HIPE leads to a notable enhancement of carrageenan films, enhancing their potential as safer, sustainable food packaging.

Cryopreservation of fermented table olives microbiomes: an integrative case study on viability, functional stability, and biobanking applications.

Nano-AI synergy in food chemistry: smart analytical tools for quality, safety, and nutritional profiling.

The sustainability nexus of cultured meat: Integrating environmental, social, and technological-economic insights.

Valorisation of feather and wool for dietary applications and human nutrition: A step towards sustainable food production.

The transition to a circular economy (CE) is a critical strategy for improving the sustainability and resilience of the global food system. Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and its associated digital technologies offer a powerful means of accelerating this transformation. This systematic review provides a comprehensive analysis of the synergy between I4.0 and the CE within the European Union's food supply chain, integrating technological applications, implementation barriers, and policy frameworks. Key I4.0 applications are reviewed across the CE hierarchy, including artificial intelligence (AI)-driven demand forecasting and precision agriculture for waste prevention, machine learning-optimized bioprocessing for valorizing by-products into food-grade ingredients, and blockchain and the Internet of Things for enhancing traceability and transparency in circular flows. However, the transition faces significant barriers. Technological challenges include a lack of interoperability and data standards. Economic hurdles involve high initial investment costs and uncertain returns on investment, particularly for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, managerial and organizational inertia stems from a digital skills gap and resistance to change, while social concerns relate to consumer acceptance, data privacy, and digital equity. Synthesizing these findings, this review articulates a "policy-technology nexus," arguing that a successful digital-circular transition is a sociotechnical challenge. The analysis demonstrates that EU policies must evolve from merely promoting technology to acting as system architects. This requires aligning digital infrastructure with market-shaping mechanisms to create the collaborative ecosystems necessary for a widespread and equitable transition. Finally, a research agenda is proposed focusing on technological integration, innovative business models, sociotechnical studies, and the governance of a just and ethical transition.

Physically structured emulsion-filled gels based on Euglena-xanthan depletion mixtures for 3D printing.

Utilization of biocatalysts in an artificial photosynthesis system: A biotechnological approach towards sustainable development.

Development and assessment of antimicrobial films based on geraniol-loaded ZnO/pectin-carrageenan nanocomposite for sustainable packaging applications.

Flexible and sustainable PBAT@g-C3N4/MWCNT nanocomposite films for the packaging of green grapes.

Enhanced recovery of fluorescent pigment–protein complexes from Spirulina biomass via ultrasound-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction: Toward sustainable natural food colorants with anti-colorectal cancer potential

Nutritional life cycle assessment of mealworm as a potential sustainable protein-rich food

Morpho-genetic, ecophysiological and nutraceutical dimensions of Channa striata: Implication for sustainable aquaculture and functional food development