Synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and its application in food packaging: A critical review

Food product safety, especially at the consumer level, is a major concern around the world. Maintaining product safety from processing to acceptable consumption level is very necessary to avoid the negative effect on human health. The addition of functional material such as Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) into food packaging material creates a path to ensure product safety. The role of food packaging can be improvised with the help of other unique technology incorporation such as MOFs, with a group of functional materials possessing unique chemical and physical properties, significantly promising towards food safety due to its high surface area and porous structure. The current review deals with the application of MOF in food packaging, its different synthesis methods, toxicity, future perspectives, and potential purpose in food packaging. MOFs act as active agents, especially in active food packaging, by improving shelf-life, quality, and maintaining the safety of packed foods. Incorporation of MOFs into packaging material in different forms supervised the progress in the field of food packaging to ensure product safety with the perspective of implementing novel solutions in the food supply chain. Antimicrobial properties, active molecule removal, and dishonestly labeled food products are some of the challenges faced in traditional food packaging; thus, the emergence of new materials such as MOFs can be a remedy to overcome these challenges. Properties such as good biocompatibility and non-reacting behavior with the host have made MOFs be an integral part of food packaging.