Research progress and future trends in smart response packaging for food preservation

Abstract

Globally, it is estimated that about one third of the food destined for human consumption is wasted each year, a total of about 1.3 billion tons. This staggering amount of food waste is a serious problem in the food supply chain. However, the development and use of smart-responsive packaging materials has the potential to reduce food waste and extend shelf life. For example, some novel materials such as composite films with photocatalytic properties have been developed for fruit packaging, which can preserve strawberries for an extended period. However, existing smart packaging materials still face challenges in providing efficient, flexible and timely response. Furthermore, health threats from current packaging systems are a concern. For instance, residual chemicals from processing techniques and the excessive release of active molecules, such as some nanomaterials used in packaging, can threaten human health. Therefore, further development and optimization of smart packaging materials that can timely respond to changes in the storage micro-environment are crucial for food preservation. This article provides an overview of the latest advances in smart responsive packaging that employ multiple stimulus responses, summarizing the response mechanisms and application advances of temperature, humidity, gas, pH, and light smart responsive packaging. In addition, the article consider the challenges to further developing smart responsive packaging systems and suggests possible solutions. Responding to actual production needs, new approaches, such as material safety assessment and improved response sensitivity, can be considered in combination with artificial intelligence techniques to better design applicable smart packaging systems. These developments are important for reducing food waste, improving food shelf life, and ensuring consumer safety.