Foodborne disease remains a major global health and economic burden, with recent World Health Organization estimates attributing roughly 866 million illnesses and 1.52 million deaths annually to 42 major foodborne hazards. Conventional preservation and decontamination strategies are increasingly challenged by antimicrobial‐resistant pathogens, chemical residues, and mycotoxin contamination, creating demand for complementary nanotechnology‐based interventions. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and their heterojunctions with graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C ₃ N ₄ ) have emerged as versatile platforms combining broad‐spectrum antimicrobial activity with visible‐light‐driven photocatalytic detoxification. This review synthesizes recent literature on the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles by conventional and green/biogenic routes, including microbially mediated synthesis using actinobacteria such as Streptomyces species, and on the design of g‐C ₃ N ₄ /ZnO S‐scheme heterojunctions that suppress charge‐carrier recombination while preserving strong redox potentials. We examine the principal antimicrobial and photocatalytic mechanisms—reactive oxygen species generation, Zn ²⁺ ion release, and direct membrane interaction—and their translation into food‐relevant applications, including antimicrobial active packaging films and coatings, photocatalytic degradation of mycotoxins and pesticide residues, and nanomaterial‐based biosensors for pathogen and spoilage detection. Toxicological and regulatory considerations, including nanoparticle migration from food‐contact materials and evolving European Food Safety Authority and United States Food and Drug Administration frameworks, are discussed alongside persistent gaps in standardized safety testing, scale‐up reproducibility, and life‐cycle assessment. We conclude by outlining research priorities—particularly the systematic evaluation of biogenic ZnO and g‐C ₃ N ₄ /ZnO composites under real food matrices and regulatory‐relevant conditions—needed to advance these materials from laboratory demonstration toward safe, standardized, and sustainable adoption across the food value chain.

The global food system faces compounding pressures: a world population projected to reach approximately 9.7 billion by 2050, an escalating burden of diet‐related non‐communicable diseases, persistent micronutrient deficiencies affecting approximately 2 billion people globally, and robust scientific evidence that conventional agriculture cannot sustainably expand within planetary boundaries. Against this backdrop, next‐generation food technologies have emerged as potentially transformative approaches to restructuring how humanity produces and consumes nutrition. This narrative review examines five technological pillars: (i) precision fermentation and microbially produced proteins, (ii) cultivated (cell‐based) meat and seafood, (iii) plant‐based, mycoprotein, and microalgae innovations, (iv) biofortification and functional food engineering, and (v) three‐dimensional (3D) food printing with novel ingredients. Each technology is evaluated for its nutritional profile, environmental footprint, scalability, regulatory status, and public health implications, alongside its documented limitations and scientific uncertainties. Cross‐cutting challenges, including regulatory fragmentation, consumer neophobia, energy intensity, equity of access, and citation integrity, are critically examined. The review concludes that while each pillar holds genuine promise, significant technical, regulatory, and socioeconomic uncertainties remain underemphasized in much of the existing literature. A synergistic, evidence‐anchored portfolio approach, grounded in sustainability science and guided by global health equity, is most credible. Priority research gaps are identified, including the need for long‐term dietary intervention trials, full‐system life cycle assessments incorporating renewable energy scenarios, and independent verification of bibliographic claims in rapidly evolving technology fields.

The increasing demand for natural food preservatives has intensified research into indigenous microorganisms with biopreservative properties. This study investigated the antimicrobial efficacy and biopreservative potential of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from traditionally fermented Dacryodes edulis seeds. From 187 initial isolates, 45 LAB strains were comprehensively characterized across three agroecological zones in Kogi State, Nigeria. Molecular identification using 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed five species, with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum predominating (42.2%). Novel strain DE‐LAB‐23 demonstrated exceptional antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli O157:H7 (inhibition zone: 28.4 ± 1.2 mm), Salmonella Typhimurium (26.8 ± 0.9 mm), and Listeria monocytogenes (24.6 ± 1.1 mm). Multi‐omics validation (RNA‐seq, mass spectrometry, Western blot) confirmed production of novel bacteriocins with remarkable thermal stability (85% activity at 100°C for 15 min) and broad pH tolerance (pH 3.0–9.0). Whole‐genome sequencing revealed four novel biosynthetic gene clusters encoding previously uncharacterized antimicrobial peptides. Application in a traditional African porridge model achieved 3.2‐log pathogen reduction and 72‐h shelf‐life extension at ambient temperature. These findings establish indigenous D. edulis ‐derived LAB as promising natural biopreservatives for sustainable food safety enhancement in West African traditional foods.

Streptomyces species are prolific producers of secondary metabolites with significant pharmaceutical potential, particularly in tropical agricultural ecosystems. This study characterised rhizosphere‐associated Streptomyces species from agricultural soils around Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, Nigeria, and evaluated their antimicrobial secondary metabolite production capacity through combined genomic mining and bioactivity screening. Soil samples from maize and soybean rhizospheres across five sites were analysed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, multilocus sequence typing, and whole‐genome sequencing. Biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) were identified using antiSMASH and PRISM, and crude extracts were evaluated for antimicrobial activity against multidrug‐resistant clinical isolates via LC–MS/MS analysis. Twenty‐three Streptomyces isolates representing eight species were recovered. Genomic mining revealed 187 putative BGCs, including polyketide synthases (PKS), non‐ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS), and hybrid PKS‐NRPS clusters. Streptomyces sp. PAU‐7 and Streptomyces griseoflavus PAU‐15 demonstrated significant activity against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem‐resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). LC–MS/MS analysis identified twelve putatively novel secondary metabolites including three polyketide derivatives and four peptide‐based compounds. Nigerian agricultural soils harbour diverse Streptomyces populations with substantial biosynthetic potential for putatively novel antimicrobial compounds.