The shortage of oil resources is currently a global problem. The use of renewable resources instead of non-renewable ones has become a hot topic of research in the eyes of scientists. In the food industry, there is a lot of interest in bio-based smart active packaging that meets the concept of sustainability and ensures safety. The packaging has antibacterial and antioxidant properties that extend the shelf life of food. Its ability to monitor the freshness of food in real time is also beneficial to consumers’ judgement of food safety. This paper summarises the main raw materials for the preparation of bio-based smart active packaging, including proteins, polysaccharides and composite materials. The current status of the preparation method of bio-based smart active packaging and its application in food preservation is summarised. The future development trend in the field of food packaging is foreseen, so as to provide a reference for the improvement of bio-based smart active packaging materials.

Summary: Plastics materials used for food packaging are recalcitrant, leading to a growing global environmental problem, which arouses the attention of environmental protection departments in many countries. Therefore, to meet the increasing demand for sustainable and environment‐friendly consumer products, it is necessary for the food industry to develop natural antibacterial materials for food preservation. This review summarizes the common biodegradable natural antimicrobial agents and their applications in food preservation; as well as an overview of five commonly used biodegradable protein‐based polymers, such as zein, soy protein isolate, gelatin and whey protein, with special emphasis on the advantages of protein‐based biopolymers and their applications in food packaging industry.

• The acoustic cavitation of ultrasound can expose more internal binding sites of proteins, and there will be shielding effect between binding sites in the protein complex system. • The combination of multiple field treatments shows synergistic effect and better treatment effect. • The application of ultrasonic wave in combination with other fields still has the limitation of large energy consumption and difficult operation.

• The quenching of zein by chlorogenic acid is mainly static quenching. • Hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction are main driving forces. • The tensile strength of zein film with 2.0% chlorogenic acid increased by 132.44%. • The addition of chlorogenic acid to zein films has potential as an active packaging.