Over the past few decades, the food industry has undergone revolutionary changes due to the impacts of globalization, technological advancements, and ever-evolving consumer demands. Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data have become pivotal in strengthening food safety, production, and marketing. With the continuous evolution of AI technology and big data analytics, the food industry is poised to embrace further changes and developmental opportunities. An increasing number of food enterprises will leverage AI and big data to enhance product quality, meet consumer needs, and propel the industry toward a more intelligent and sustainable future. This review delves into the applications of AI and big data in the food sector, examining their impacts on production, quality, safety, risk management, and consumer insights. Furthermore, the advent of Industry 4.0 applied to the food industry has brought to the fore technologies such as smart agriculture, robotic farming, drones, 3D printing, and digital twins; the food industry also faces challenges in smart production and sustainable development going forward. This review articulates the current state of AI and big data applications in the food industry, analyses the challenges encountered, and discusses viable solutions. Lastly, it outlines the future development trends in the food industry.

The chemical and physical properties of instant whole milk powder (IWMP), such as morphology, protein content, and particle size, can affect its functionality and performance. Bulk density, which directly determines the packing cost and transportation cost of milk powder, is one of the most important functional properties of IWMP, and it is mainly affected by physical properties, e.g., morphology and particle size. This work quantified the relationship between morphology and bulk density of IWMP and developed a predictive model of bulk density for IWMP. To obtain milk powder samples with different particle size fractions, IWMP samples of four different brands were sieved into three different particle size range groups, before using the simplex-centroid design (SCD) method to remix the milk powder samples. The bulk densities of these remixed milk powder samples were then measured by tap testing, and the particles’ shape factors were extracted by light microscopy and image processing. The number of variables was decreased by principal component analysis and partial least squares models and artificial neural network models were built to predict the bulk density of IWMP. It was found that different brands of IWMP have different morphology, and the bulk density trends versus the shape factor changes were similar for the different particle size range groups. Finally, prediction models for bulk density were developed by using the shape factors and particle size range fractions of the IWMP samples. The good results of these models proved that predicting the bulk density of IWMP by using shape factors and particle size range fractions is achievable and could be used as a model for online model-based process monitoring.

Almost all processed food comes packaged in either plastic, glass, metal, or paper and paperboard materials, and many packaging materials are disposed of after a single use (linear economy). Based on the concept of a circular economy, the recycling of food packaging materials has become one of the main targets for industries and regulators around the world. However, recycling presents particular challenges, mainly related to the recycled material composition, which determines its reusability, application, functionality, and chemical safety. In this latter matter, it has been demonstrated that the use of recycled food packaging materials increases the number and possible sources of substances that could be present in the packaging material, which is of concern as substances that can migrate into food and cause health hazards upon consumption. This review compiles information regarding substances detected in non‐permanent food packaging materials, focusing mainly on plastics, paper, and paperboards. The compilation of literature studies (110 research articles) on the presence of intentionally added substances (IAS) and non‐intentionally added substances (NIAS) in food packaging materials, their migration, toxicity, and dietary exposure has been summarized, evaluated, and discussed. In addition, current sustainable food packaging trends have been mentioned. Finally, approaches to reduce the presence, migration, and potential exposure to substances that have migrated from packaging materials into food have been reviewed.