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The recent global pandemic has reshaped consumer purchasing patterns and heightened awareness of viral risks in food systems, presenting new challenges for the industry in preventing contamination and transmission. Incorporation of antiviral agents into food packaging matrices offers a promising strategy to mitigate viral persistence and transmission. This comprehensive review integrates advances of antiviral materials over the past decade, including bioactive small molecules (e.g., polyphenols), natural and synthetic polymers (e.g., chitosan, polyethyleneimine), and inorganic antiviral compounds (e.g., graphene, silver). Their antiviral mechanisms such as viral inactivation, attachment inhibition, and contamination prevention are analyzed based on in vitro or in vivo evidence. Nanotechnology-based approaches such as nanocarrier systems and surface modifications are also highlighted for their enhanced efficacy in antiviral applications. Current challenges, including food-contact safety, regulatory hurdles, consumer acceptance, and production scalability, are discussed to improve the practical applicability of these antiviral materials. Overall, this review provides a mechanistic and application-oriented perspective intended to guide food packaging researchers and industry stakeholders in advancing the development of active packaging systems.
Chen et al. (Wed,) studied this question.