Recent advances in active packaging: Insights into novel functional elements, response strategies and applications for food preservation

Abstract

Given the substantial food losses incurred throughout the supply chain, which hinder the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal, there is an urgent need to develop novel active packaging solutions. These solutions should be capable of releasing functional elements on demand and in a controlled manner to effectively reduce food waste. It is also worth exploring the way different packaging responds to different environmental factors, including pH, temperature, light, and humidity etc. Such responsive behaviours can be synergistic, while it should be consistent with actual demands for preservation. The role of novel functional elements is not limited to antimicrobials, but can also regulate other storage environments such as humidity, light, moisture etc., and there is still a lack of systematic updating of such studies. As more functions are integrated into active packaging, some antimicrobial components such as anthocyanins, AIEgens, metal nanoparticles and carbon dots can also incorporate other functions e.g. freshness indication and light response antimicrobial capacity. The concept of multi-response is growing popular, and the sequential release of functional elements to realize secondary functionality deserves attention. This review also addressed the risk, safety assessment, and commercialization visions of novel active packaging, aiming to provide ideas for the development of multifunctional novel food packaging that reduces the dependence on petrochemical-based materials.