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Review
. 2025 Sep 2;13(9):e70880.
doi: 10.1002/fsn3.70880. eCollection 2025 Sep.

Smartphones as Catalysts for Synergistic Nutrition: A New Era in Bioactive Detection, Personalization, and Food System Intelligence

Mohamed Ibrahim Younis  1 , Yahia Ibrahim Sallam  1 , Khaled Fahmy Mahmoud  2 , Zheng Ruan  3 , Rawaa H Tlay  4 , Tarek Gamal Abedelmaksoud  1
Affiliations
Review

Smartphones as Catalysts for Synergistic Nutrition: A New Era in Bioactive Detection, Personalization, and Food System Intelligence

Mohamed Ibrahim Younis et al. Food Sci Nutr. .

Abstract

Naturally occurring bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and vitamins play critical roles in human health and sustainable food systems. Yet their widespread utilization is constrained by complex detection methods and limited accessibility. This review explores how smartphones are emerging as transformative platforms for real-time analysis, enhanced synergy discovery, and personalized nutrition. By integrating spectroscopy, imaging, electrochemical sensing, microfluidics, and AI, smartphones now enable field-grade assays that rival laboratory precision at a fraction of the cost. Their deployment across agriculture, food processing, and consumer health is examined, with a focus on how smartphone-based tools can be used to quantify synergistic interactions between bioactives, optimize nutrient retention, and deliver data-driven dietary guidance. Coupled with machine learning, these devices can identify optimal compound pairings and adapt recommendations to individual physiology and environmental conditions. Limitations related to sensor calibration, data standards, and regulatory readiness are also highlighted. Finally, a roadmap for advancing smartphone-enabled nutrition science through standardization, accessibility, and responsible innovation is presented. As smartphones evolve from passive sensors into intelligent, connected analyzers, they hold unprecedented potential to reshape food quality monitoring, democratize nutrition, and accelerate the global transition toward more resilient and health-focused food systems.

Keywords: artificial intelligence in nutrition; bioactive compounds; mobile spectroscopy; personalized dietary assessment; point‐of‐care food analysis; smartphone‐based sensing; synergistic nutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Smartphone‐based assays vs. traditional laboratory methods.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Closed‐loop “digital agriculture” system.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Smartphone‐centered framework for discovering and delivering personalized synergy.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Technical limitations of smartphone‐based sensors.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Infrastructural and social barriers concerning smartphone‐based sensors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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