An overview of the intelligent packaging technologies in the food sector

Intelligent packaging is the newest technology within the food packaging field. Even though this technology is still growing and not fully commercially viable, it has enormous potential to improve the safety, quality, and traceability of food products, as well as its convenience for consumers. This paper first describes both the technical aspects and commercial applications of the most representative intelligent technologies—indicators, data carriers, and sensors—with special focus on systems and devices that are directly integrated into the package. Secondly, to provide useful guidelines for future research in the field, the paper discusses some important aspects that still hinder the full exploitation of intelligent technology within the food packaging industry. Future research needs to consider some important aspects in order to make intelligent systems commercially viable, such as cost, consumers' acceptance and confidence, regulatory aspects (e.g., labeling), and multifunctionality.