Molecular Hydrogen in Food Packaging and Preservation: Current Advances and Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Molecular hydrogen (H₂) has emerged as a functional bioactive gas with exceptional diffusivity, selective radical-scavenging ability, and proven biosafety, offering new opportunities for next-generation food preservation technologies. Hydrogen-based reducing atmosphere packaging (H₂-RAP), which diverges from conventional modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) that passively suppresses spoilage through CO₂, O₂, and N₂, provides on-demand oxidative protection by directly regulating redox balance within food systems. This review critically evaluates the limitations of conventional MAP and develops a mechanistically discriminative framework for H₂-RAP linking oxidative control to redox potential-linked spoilage trajectories. It summarizes advances in headspace-matrix exchange, dissolution/partitioning and interfacial exchange, effective diffusivity (Deff), and retention/decay kinetics, together with controlled-delivery architectures. The comparative analysis of different food categories demonstrates that H₂-RAP effectively suppresses oxidation, microbial proliferation, and nutrient degradation at low and safe concentrations, thereby extending the shelf life of food products. Despite these advantages, the challenges of maintaining H₂ retention, optimizing release kinetics, and establishing standardized evaluation and safety frameworks remain unresolved. Through the integration of knowledge from food chemistry, materials science, and sustainability science, this review provides a unified perspective on H₂-based packaging systems and delineates key research priorities for the safe, scalable, and intelligent industrial implementation.