Microfluidics in smart packaging of foods

Abstract

The increasing trend in ensuring safe and quality foods necessitates the monitoring of food products throughout the food supply chain. Food packaging is an indispensable process as it provides various functions such as containment, protection, convenience, and communication. The development of innovative packaging systems is required to ensure foods are microbiologically, chemically, and physically safe for consumption. In recent years, smart food packaging technologies namely intelligent and active packaging methods have become popular in the food packaging industry. However, in many cases, these smart packaging systems have not been adopted for large commercial-scale production. Development of rapid, sensitive, portable, user-friendly, and cost-effective food safety and quality analytical devices are required to meet both consumer and regulatory demands. Microfluidic technology has become a powerful tool as an alternative method to conventional laboratory-based analytical systems. The applications of microfluidic techniques in monitoring the safety and quality of a packaged food product are promising and rapidly advancing. Several studies have exhibited the development of microfluidic devices for smart food packaging such as time-temperature indicators, critical temperature indicators, food microorganism sensors, food quality detectors, and active food packaging. The future of food packaging lies in smart packaging technology which can function more than just protection and containment. This review focuses on the basic concepts of microfluidic technology and its application on intelligent and active packaging of food products and crystal ball gazing the future perspectives of this technology in food industry.

Keywords: Active packaging; Food quality; Food safety; Intelligent packaging; Microfluidics; Smart packaging.