Trends and Advances in Development of Photodynamic, Photothermal, and Intelligent Food Packaging: A Review

Food packaging has evolved as advanced technologies to reduce food wastage by actively enhancing safety, quality, and sustainability. This review focuses on the mechanisms, materials chemistry, and application performance of photodynamic, photothermal, and intelligent food packaging systems that exploit light-induced chemical and thermal processes for microbial control and freshness monitoring. Photodynamic packaging employs natural photosensitizers, including curcumin, riboflavin, and porphyrin derivatives, to generate reactive oxygen species under visible light, achieving microbial reductions of 5-7 log against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes. Photothermal packaging utilizes nanomaterials and biopolymer composites to convert visible or near-infrared light into localized heat (>45-55°C), enabling >99.9% bacterial inactivation and shelf-life extension of perishable foods by 4-27 days without bulk heating. Intelligent packaging systems incorporating natural pigments, pH-responsive anthocyanins, carbon dots, and gas-sensitive indicators provide real-time visual detection of spoilage biomarkers such as total volatile basic nitrogen, ammonia, and CO₂. Emphasis is laid on eco-friendly biopolymer matrices, hybrid photodynamic-photothermal synergies, and sensor-integrated designs that reduce preservative use and food waste. This review thoroughly analyses recent developments in photodynamic, photothermal, and intelligent food packaging technologies that utilize light-induced processes, nanomaterials, and smart sensing systems to improve antibacterial efficacy, thermal inactivation, and freshness monitoring. Key challengesincluding scalability, light penetration, long-term stability, nanoparticle migration, and regulatory approvalare critically assessed. Future perspectives highlight green synthesis, waste-derived materials, life cycle assessment, and standardized safety testing as essential pathways towards sustainable, next-generation food packaging.