Raising the bar: Exploring modern technologies and biomaterials for enhancing food safety and quality- a comprehensive review

Food, one of the three basic necessities of human being, is critical for sustainability of life. Therefore, it is utmost to ensure its safety and quality before consumption. It is expected that by 2050, human population to rise over 9 billion. To cater such large population with good quality and safe food is a growing concern. This concern prompted the development of various novel biomaterials and technological innovations to improve the food packaging, food quality and its safety. This review focused on the emerging sensing technologies such as electrochemical biosensing, microfluidic technologies, and conventional analytical approaches for rapid detection of food contaminant to improve food safety and to ease the risk assessment. Additionally, we discussed novel biomaterials derived from food grade polysaccharides, polypeptides, and other biocompatible materials which has grown in the past and still emerging in the field of food science. This review aims to explore the multifaceted applications of novel biomaterials in food packaging, food microbial spoilage control, food edible coatings and food preservation in order to increase the shelf-life and quality of food. With this review, our aim is to provide readers with insights into the latest information regarding ongoing research on the role of biomaterials and sensing technologies in the realm of food industry.