Carbon dots for intelligent food packaging: Innovations and applications

Innovative packaging solutions are strategic in addressing current challenges in the food system, including reducing food waste, preventing foodborne diseases, and food fraud. One key area is the development of innovative intelligent packaging solutions, where the use of carbon dots (CDs) could be of particular interest due to their size, unique fluorescence, and biocompatibility properties. However, their use in packaging has been mostly explored in active packaging solutions. Herein, recent developments regarding the use of CDs for intelligent packaging solutions are explored, focusing on application areas such as the development of sensing and monitoring solutions, as well as anticounterfeiting applications. In sensing and monitoring applications, CDs have been mostly explored as indicators for food freshness, with CD-loaded films produced via solvent casting. In anticounterfeiting efforts, they have been mostly used to develop cloneable tags through the development of invisible inks under visible light, which turn fluorescent under specific excitation (most commonly in the ultraviolet range). Additionally, the literature regarding the migration potential, safety, and the regulatory status of the use of CDs as food contact materials is also discussed. Future efforts should focus on developing cheap, scalable, and sustainable CDs, lighting the path for their increased use and adoption in innovative intelligent packaging solutions. • Innovative packaging solutions are crucial and carbon dots are an area of interest. • Carbon dots use is explored in sensing and monitoring, and anticounterfeiting. • Freshness monitoring and analyte detection applications are key areas. • Lack of complete studies on the migration behavior and the biocompatibility of CDs. • Further efforts in producing cheap, green carbon dots from biomass waste are needed.