Climate-Conscious Food Preserving Technologies for Food Waste Prevention

¹ Department of Civil Infrastructure and Environmental Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
² Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, Selangor 43500, Malaysia
³ School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 62 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637459 Singapore.
⁴ Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, The Sirindhorn International Thai-German Graduate School of Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok Bangkok, Thailand
⁵ Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

^* Corresponding author: PauLoke.Show@ku.ac.ae

Abstract

Global food production is responsible for around 26% of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities. Notably, 6% of these emissions are caused by unconsumed food. Both traditional and current climate-conscious technologies for food preservatives that assure food waste reduction are discussed. This review investigates the potential of smart packaging biosensors and natural antimicrobial agents in fostering environmentally friendly, cutting-edge food systems. Specifically, it highlights the studies that explore the use of natural antimicrobial agents of calcined corals in active packaging systems for storing milk. The finding revealed that this method had a significant impact on maximizing the shelf life of fresh food. Furthermore, this review discusses the concept of smart packaging of food, focusing on biopolymer-based nanocomposites and biosensors, which have gained increasing attention in the food industry due to concerns about food safety and quality. The review also examines the efforts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to combat food waste through the initiatives such as UAE Food Bank, Winnow, and Ne’ma which is the national food loss and waste project. These technologies and practices have the potential to guarantee food safety, preserve quality, and reduce waste, but there are still issues with cost, biocompatibility, and consumer acceptance.