The integration of biosensors and the Internet of Things (IoT) in food packaging is gaining significant interest in rapidly enhancing food safety and traceability worldwide. Currently, the IoT is one of the most intriguing topics in the digital and virtual world. Biosensors can be integrated into food packaging to monitor, sense, and identify early signs of food spoilage or freshness. When coupled with the IoT, these biosensors can contribute to data transmission via IoT networks, providing real-time insights into food storage and transportation conditions for stakeholders across each stage of the food supply chain, facilitating proactive decision-making practices. The technologies of combining biosensors with IoT could leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance food safety, quality, and security in food industries, compared to conventional existing food inspection technologies, which are limited to assessing weight, volume, color, and physical appearance. This review focused on highlighting the latest and existing advancements, identifying the knowledge gaps in the applications of biosensors and the IoT, and exploring their opportunities to shape future food packaging, particularly in the context of 21st-century food safety. The review also aims to investigate the role of the IoT in creating smart food ecosystems and examines how data transmitted from biosensors to IoT systems can be stored in cloud-based platforms, in addition to addressing upcoming research challenges. Concerns of data privacy, security, and regulatory compliance in implementing the IoT and biosensors for food packaging are also addressed, along with potential solutions to overcome these barriers.

The conversion of biowaste into biofertilizer offers a sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers by supporting nutrient recycling and agricultural productivity. However, industrial pelletization can compromise the viability of microorganisms essential for biofertilizer function. In this study, a 40/60 (dry wt%) blend of biochar and commercial potting mix (biowaste blend) was used to produce a biochar biofertilizer (BCBF) through pelletization. Microbial population dynamics were then assessed at different stages of the BCBF pelletization process and under variations in key pelleting parameters—moisture content (15–35%), die surface temperature (70–180 °C), and feed rate (75–150 lb/h). The results showed that fungal and protozoan populations increased during the composting stage of BCBF, but declined to undetectable levels following drying and coating of the BCBF pellets. Bacterial populations increased after composting, but decreased substantially after pelleting and subsequent storage of the BCBF, while actinobacteria remained low throughout the pelletization process. Elevated temperatures and moisture loss were identified as major contributors to microbial inactivation during pelletization. These findings demonstrate that careful control of pelletization parameters is essential for maintaining microbial viability, thereby supporting the development of higher-quality, microbially active biochar-based biofertilizers.

Recent developments in high-performance electrode materials have been pivotal for real-time monitoring biosensors, necessitating compatibility with biomaterials and robust electrochemi-cal properties. This study explores the development of electrode materials using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), with a primary fo-cus on assessing their dispersion and electrochemical properties. Various solvents, including N N-Dimethylformamide (DMF), deionized water, ethanol, and acetone, were used for dispersion analysis by employing ultrasonic waves. The results showed that SWCNTs exhibited well-dispersed characteristics without precipitation when introduced to a DMF solution. It found that resistance values decreased as the concentration of SWCNTs increased over the range of 0.025 to 0.4 g/L, with a considerable electrical conductivity reached at concentrations ranging from 0.2 g/L to 0.4 g/L in DMF. The biosensor platform was evaluated with 1-pyrenebutanoic acid succin-imidyl este (PBSE) as the linker and glucose oxidase (Gox) and chitosan as the binding substrate. The binding of Gox with glucose resulted in a significant decrease in resistance value of the biosensor with rising their concentrations ranged from 0.001 to 0.1 M. Though this research provides founda-tional insights for the advancement of SWCNT-based high-performance electrode materials, it will pave the way for the next generation of efficient and reliable biosensors.

Aspergillus flavus is a major fungal species that contaminates a wide range of crops and produces aflatoxins under favorable environmental conditions. Several approaches have been developed for aflatoxigenic A. flavus identification and aflatoxins detection. This review summarizes the existing methods for the identification of aflatoxigenic A. flavus, along with recent progress in aflatoxins detection methods. It also highlights limitations and possible factors associated with the accurate identification of aflatoxigenic isolates. Particularly, this review underscores the utilization of advanced analytical or detection methods along with existing identification techniques to accurately identify aflatoxigenic A. flavus.