Smart packaging has emerged as a transformative approach in modern food systems, enabling real-time monitoring of food quality, safety, and freshness throughout the supply chain. Unlike conventional passive packaging, smart packaging integrates sensing, communication, and response mechanisms to detect biochemical and environmental changes in food products. Freshness sensors, biosensors, and intelligent indicators play a crucial role in extending shelf life, reducing food loss, and enhancing consumer trust. This review critically examines recent developments in smart packaging and freshness sensor technologies, focusing on sensor types, functional materials, data integration, and industrial applications. Emphasis is placed on sustainability, scalability, and the role of intelligent packaging in addressing global food safety challenges. Current limitations, regulatory concerns, and future research directions are also discussed to provide a holistic understanding of the evolving smart packaging landscape.
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The authors declare no conflicts of interest related to this study.
The author alone is responsible for the study's conception, design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and manuscript preparation.
No specific grants from any funding agencies in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors were received for this research, authorship, or publication.
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I express my gratitude to those who provided expertise and assistance throughout this study and manuscript preparation. Special thanks to the anonymous peer reviewers for their valuable feedback.
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