Nanozyme: An emerging tool for food packaging

Food microbial contamination is a significant contributor to food deterioration, which leads to a shortage of food resources and presents a grand challenge worldwide. While chemical food preservatives provide an effective approach to combat microbiology in food, their overuse and long-term use result in the evolution of bacteria with antibiotic resistance. Fortunately, recent advancements in nanotechnology provide novel opportunities to overcome this obstacle without dependence on antibiotics. Nanozymes have emerged as new tools to combat bacterial infection in the food packaging field, providing an alternative strategy for food preservation. Herein, this comprehensive review summarizes the main antimicrobial mechanisms of nanozymes, and highlights the potential of utilizing nanozymes as a medium for intelligent visualization monitoring of food quality. The forms and challenges of nanozymes for food packaging applications are also discussed, and the proposal for the bio-safety assessment of nanozymes as food packaging is put forth. Furthermore, valuable insights into the future development prospects of nanozymes-based food packaging applications are provided. This review offers an exciting perspective on the application of nanozyme in the food industry and its potential to revolutionize food preservation.