Designing Plant-Based Smart Food Packaging Solutions for Prolonging Consumable Life of Perishable Foods

Concerns about the environmental and health impacts of plastics have driven the search for alternatives to petroleum-based food packaging materials. Simultaneously, the food packaging industry is making rapid progress in developing smart packaging technologies that extend the shelf life and freshness of perishable foods. Among the alternatives, plant-based packaging materials are gaining prominence because of their high environmental, health, and economical properties. However, the advancement in smart packing technologies has mainly involved petroleum-based plastics. Consequently, it is imminent that these smart technologies should be geared toward emerging plant-based packing materials. Hence, this perspective article explores the potential, opportunities, and challenges in designing smart packing materials using plant-based materials like protein, cellophane, and other bio-polymeric plastics. Specifically, we explore how the plant-based platform for smart food packing for prolonging the consumable life of perishable food products can be achieved without losing the desirable properties exhibited by petroleum-based plastic platforms.