Bibliometric, patent, and systematic review of waste-derived biopolymers and natural functional agents in active and intelligent packaging

Waste and residual biomass from agro- and food-processing represent vast, underexplored sources of biopolymers and active components for innovative packaging systems. In this context, this review highlights various polymer matrices derived from natural biomass, and the potential natural bioactives and pigments that have been found instrumental in the development of active and intelligent packaging systems (AIPs). To provide a data-driven perspective, the review incorporates bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer to map global research trends; Google-patent-driven patent analysis to highlight innovations and commercialisation opportunities; and PRISMA-based systematic analysis of recent literature. Bibliographic data revealed a total of 74 works on AIPs, ~ 93% of which were published in the last decade, with anthocyanin, biopolymers, cellulose, food packaging, and food waste among the most prominent keywords. The patent landscape was observed to be largely dominated by university-assigned patents, with China, Brazil, South Korea and the USA at the forefront. AIPs fall within International Patent Classification (IPC) classes such as bioactive chemistry (C11D17/04) and polymer processing (C08L5/00), underscoring their technological novelty and relevance to the circular economy. However, regulatory safety was highlighted as a grey area while microbial-based active ingredients/pigments, scalable processing (e.g. thermal and coating technologies) and advanced formulation technologies (e.g. encapsulation, nano-structuring, and polymer–active conjugation) were identified as critical focus areas important in optimising the industrial deployment and real-world adoption of AIP systems. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive interdisciplinary perspective on sustainable, functional packaging; while identifying the limited industrial deployment of bio-based AIPs despite substantial academic progress.