This review highlights recent innovations in food packaging, emphasizing the shift from conventional petroleum-based materials to bio-based alternatives and smart packaging systems. Bio-based materials, such as starch, cellulose, and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), offer sustainable solutions due to their biodegradability and reduced environmental impact. These materials are positioned as eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastics but face challenges related to production costs and scalability. Additionally, advancements in smart packaging technologies, including sensor and indicator systems, provide real-time food quality monitoring, enhancing food safety and reducing waste. Active packaging technologies, incorporating natural antioxidants and moisture control, extend product shelf life and improve food preservation. Furthermore, these biopolymers typically present a lower CO₂ footprint, energy costs, and water consumption during production, compared to traditionally used synthetic plastics. The review identifies challenges, such as regulatory barriers and technological limitations, but also outlines significant opportunities for future research and innovation in the food packaging sector, aiming for more efficient, safer, and environmentally sustainable packaging solutions.

The scientific community has explored new packaging materials owing to environmental challenges and pollution from plastic waste. Bacterial cellulose (BC), produced by bacteria like Gluconacetobacter xylinus, shows high potential for food preservation owing to its exceptional mechanical strength, high crystallinity, and effective barrier properties against gases and moisture, making it a promising alternative to conventional plastics. This review highlights recent advances in BC production, particularly agro-industrial residues, which reduce costs and enhance environmental sustainability. Incorporating antimicrobial agents into BC matrices has also led to active packaging solutions that extend food shelf-life and improve safety. A bibliometric analysis reveals a significant increase in research on BC over the last decade, reflecting growing global interest. Key research themes include the development of BC-based composites and the exploration of their antimicrobial properties. Critical areas for future research include improving BC production’s scalability and economic viability and the integration of BC with other biopolymers. These developments emphasize BC’s potential as a sustainable packaging material and its role in the circular economy through waste valorization.

This review explores recent advances in the design of fermentation processes for producing alternative proteins, focusing on utilizing agro-industrial waste and renewable substrates. New bioprocess strategies, such as experimental designs, optimizing bioreactors, bioprocesses, and applying precision fermentation can improve the protein yields and nutritional value. Also, unconventional substrates, such as hydrolysates derived from agro-industrial residues conversion may result in cost reduction and enhanced feasibility. The application of enzymes to produce protein-rich foods with high bioaccessibility that improve digestibility and nutritional value are also highlighted. This article addresses the importance of developing cost-effective fermentation solutions that minimize the environmental impact while addressing technical challenges such as scalability and contamination control. Furthermore, it emphasizes the growing need for innovations in fermentation process design to ensure the sustainability of industrial protein production. The review concludes that improvements in process design are fundamental in overcoming technological and regulatory barriers, particularly in increasing the efficiency and competitiveness of non-meat proteins in the global market.

This review highlights recent innovations in food packaging, emphasizing the shift from conventional petroleum-based materials to bio-based alternatives and smart packaging systems. Bio-based materials, such as starch, cellulose, and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), offer sustainable solutions due to their biodegradability and reduced environmental impact. These materials are positioned as eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastics, but face challenges related to production costs and scalability. Additionally, advancements in smart packaging technologies, including sensor and indicator systems, provide real-time food quality monitoring, enhancing food safety and reducing waste. Active packaging technologies, incorporating natural antioxidants and moisture control, extend product shelf life and improve food preservation. Also, these biopolymers usually present lower CO2 footprint, energetic cost, and water consumption during their production, in comparison to traditionally used synthetic plastics. The review identifies critical challenges, such as regulatory barriers and technological limitations, but also outlines significant opportunities for future research and innovation in the food packaging sector, aiming for more efficient, safer, and environmentally sustainable packaging solutions.

Climate change and environmental impacts from greenhouse gas emissions have spurred on efforts to reduce these emissions. Meat production, especially from cattle, is a significant contributor, releasing methane—a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO₂—and driving deforestation for pastureland. As a sustainable alternative, Single-Cell Protein (SCP), derived from microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, and algae, offers high nutritional value with a lower environmental impact. SCP production has advanced through process optimization, the use of eco-friendly substrates such as agro-industrial and food waste, and the cultivation of safe microorganisms classified as Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS). Innovations in flavor and texture, including the use of myoglobin and natural polymers to mimic meat properties, have further improved SCP’s appeal. Despite these advances, challenges remain in optimizing production parameters, enhancing sensory acceptance, and ensuring regulatory compliance for market introduction. This review explores the potential of SCP to serve as a sustainable protein source, addressing both environmental concerns and nutritional demands. It highlights recent advancements in production techniques and sensory improvements while discussing their role in environmentally friendly and health-conscious food systems. SCP stands out as a promising solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, offering an efficient and sustainable alternative to conventional protein sources.