Carbon Quantum Dots for Food Packaging Applications: Safety and Sustainability
J.R. Barbosa, E.S. Prudente, C.H.L. Machado, L.H.S. Martins, L.F.H. Lourenço
This chapter analyzes the potential of carbon dots (CDs) as advanced materials for food packaging, focusing on their sustainability and safety. This work seeks to evaluate how synthesis routes, particularly those using biomass residues, influence their functional, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and barrier properties and, consequently, their performance in polymer matrices. Unlike previous reviews, we focus on practical applications and the challenges of transitioning from the laboratory to industrial scale. The incorporation of nanoparticles into packaging materials showed potential for extending the shelf life of foods and enhancing their safety, due to their advantageous properties, excellent biocompatibility, antimicrobial/antioxidant activities, and low cost.
Keywords
Nanomaterials, Carbon Dots, Packaging, Shelf Life
Published online 11/15/2026, 12 pages
Citation: J.R. Barbosa, E.S. Prudente, C.H.L. Machado, L.H.S. Martins, L.F.H. Lourenço, Carbon Quantum Dots for Food Packaging Applications: Safety and Sustainability, Materials Research Foundations, Vol. 197, pp 144-156, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904435-6
Part of the book on Carbon Quantum Dots
References
[1] R.S. de Brito, M.J.A. Costa, J.R. Barbosa, A.F. Santos Filho, F. de Souza Farias, L.D.F.H. Lourenço, K-Nearest Neighbor algorithm for selection of new gelatin-carboxymethylcellulose films with TiO₂ nanoparticles and propolis extract with antioxidant and light barrier activity, Food Packag. Shelf Life 38 (2023) 101119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2023.101119
[2] L.H. da Silva Martins, J.M. Neto, J.R. Barbosa, G.C.A.C. Junior, J.A.R. de Oliveira, M. Rai, A.S. Lopes, Carboxymethyl cellulose-coated polypropylene films containing essential oil for food preservation, in: Biopolymer-Based Nano Films, Elsevier, 2021, pp. 133-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-823381-8.00008-9
[3] A.C.P. da Silva, J.R. Barbosa, C. da Silva Araújo, J.T.S. Batista, E.M.P.X. Neves, D.N.P. Cardoso, L.D.F.H. Lourenço, A new edible coating of fish gelatin incorporated into açaí oil to increase the post-harvest shelf life of tomatoes, Food Chem. 438 (2024) 138047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.138047
[4] J.R. Barbosa, Recovery of natural polysaccharides and advances in the hydrolysis of subcritical, supercritical water and eutectic solvents, in: Green Sustainable Process for Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Science, Elsevier, 2023, pp. 239-268. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95156-2.00009-X
[5] L.C. de Oliveira, J.R. Barbosa, S.D.C.A. Ribeiro, M.A.M. de Vasconcelos, B.A. de Aguiar, G.V. da Silva Pereira, L.D.F.H. Lourenço, Improvement of the characteristics of fish gelatin-gum arabic through the formation of the polyelectrolyte complex, Carbohydr. Polym. 223 (2019) 115068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115068
[6] F.W.F. Bezerra, P. do Nascimento Bezerra, V.M.B. Cunha, M.D.L.A.R. Salazar, J.R. Barbosa, M.P. da Silva, R.N. de Carvalho Junior, Supercritical green solvent for Amazonian natural resources, in: Advanced Nanotechnology and Application of Supercritical Fluids, Springer, 2020, pp. 15-31. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44984-1_2
[7] M.M. dos Santos Freitas, J.R. Barbosa, E.M. dos Santos Martins, L.H. da Silva Martins, F. de Souza Farias, L.D.F.H. Lourenço, N.D.S. e Silva, KNN algorithm and multivariate analysis to select and classify starch films, Food Packag. Shelf Life 34 (2022) 100976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2022.100976
[8] L.L.V. dos Santos, J.R. Barbosa, R.A. da Costa, L.L. de Fátima Henriques, Antimicrobial packaging based on molecular docking of natural products: Embalagens antimicrobianas baseadas em docking molecular de produtos naturais, Peer Rev. 6 (2024) 203-216. https://doi.org/10.53660/PRW-2493-4518
[9] L.L.V. dos Santos, J.R. Barbosa, J.C. de Oliveira, D.N.P. Cardoso, L.R.C. Silva, E.V.C. da Silva, L.D.F.H. Lourenço, Gelatin-chitosan coating increases shelf life and reduces microbial load in pirarucu fish (Arapaima gigas) during refrigerated storage, Obs. Econ. Latinoam. 22 (2024) e4535. https://doi.org/10.55905/oelv22n5-050
[10] J.R. Barbosa, M.A. Gonçalves, L.H. da Silva Martins, L. de Fátima Henriques Lourenço, Citric acid cross-linked gelatin/pectin coatings increase shelf life of ripe grapes, Coatings 15 (2025) 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15020129
[11] J.R. Barbosa, L.H. da Silva Martins, J.A.R. de Oliveira, R.N. de Carvalho Junior, Antibacterial Applications of Porous Polymers, in: Porous Polymer Science and Applications, CRC Press, 2022, pp. 245-257. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003169604-14
[12] L. Kumar, K.K. Gaikwad, Carbon dots for food packaging applications, Sustain. Food Technol. 1 (2023) 185-199. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2FB00020B
[13] P. Ezati, R. Priyadarshi, J.W. Rhim, Prospects of sustainable and renewable source-based carbon quantum dots for food packaging applications, Sustain. Mater. Technol. 33 (2022) e00494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2022.e00494
[14] J. Kong, Y. Wei, F. Zhou, L. Shi, S. Zhao, M. Wan, X. Zhang, Carbon quantum dots: Properties, preparation, and applications, Molecules 29 (2024) 2002. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29092002
[15] P.K. Yadav, S. Chandra, V. Kumar, D. Kumar, S.H. Hasan, Carbon quantum dots: Synthesis, structure, properties, and catalytic applications for organic synthesis, Catalysts 13 (2023) 422. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13020422
[16] V. Manikandan, S.C. Min, Biofabrication of carbon quantum dots and their food packaging applications: A review, Food Sci. Biotechnol. 32 (2023) 1159-1171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-023-01309-x
[17] G. Bijoy, D. Sangeetha, Biomass-derived carbon quantum dots as potential tools for sustainable environmental remediation and eco-friendly food packaging, J. Environ. Chem. Eng. (2024) 113727. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2024.113727
[18] J. Wu, T. Chen, S. Ge, W. Fan, H. Wang, Z. Zhang, R. Huang, Synthesis and applications of carbon quantum dots derived from biomass waste: A review, Environ. Chem. Lett. 21 (2023) 3393-3424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-023-01636-9
[19] E. Morelli, P. Cioni, M. Posarelli, E. Gabellieri, Chemical stability of CdSe quantum dots in seawater and their effects on a marine microalga, Aquat. Toxicol. 122 (2012) 153-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2012.06.012
[20] A. Xiao, C. Wang, J. Chen, R. Guo, Z. Yan, J. Chen, Carbon and metal quantum dots toxicity on the microalgae Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf. 133 (2016) 211-217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2016.07.026
[21] Y. Ma, Y. Liu, W. Chen, F. Li, R. Guo, R. Ji, J. Chen, Carbon quantum dot-induced developmental toxicity in Daphnia magna involves disturbance of symbiotic microorganisms, Sci. Total Environ. 904 (2023) 166825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166825
[22] X. Tan, Y. Li, X. Li, S. Zhou, L. Fan, S. Yang, Electrochemical synthesis of small-sized red fluorescent graphene quantum dots as a bioimaging platform, Chem. Commun. 51 (2015) 2544-2546. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4CC09332A
[23] Y. Deng, D. Zhao, X. Chen, F. Wang, H. Song, D. Shen, Long lifetime pure organic phosphorescence based on water soluble carbon dots, Chem. Commun. 49 (2013) 5751-5753. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3cc42600a
[24] J.R. Ansari, K. Park, J. Seo, Improving the oxygen barrier properties of composite films using green tea extracted CQDs and PVA for active packaging applications, Food Packag. Shelf Life 48 (2025) 101460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2025.101460
[25] D. Gupta, R. Priyadarshi, S.K. Tammina, J.W. Rhim, G. Agrawal, Fruit processing wastes as sustainable sources for the production of multifunctional carbon quantum dots for application in active food packaging, Food Bioprocess Technol. 18 (2025) 2145-2169. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-024-03578-8
[26] R.V. Wagh, P. Ezati, A. Khan, R. Priyadarshi, J.W. Rhim, Vaccinium corymbosum-derived carbon dots and Anthocyanin‐infused gelatin multifunctional films for smart packaging applications, Packag. Technol. Sci. 37 (2024) 1049-1064. https://doi.org/10.1002/pts.2839
[27] S. Rajamanikandan, M. Biruntha, G. Ramalingam, Blue emissive carbon quantum dots (CQDs) from bio-waste peels and their antioxidant activity, J. Cluster Sci. 34 (2023) 1-9.
[28] M.H. Son, S.W. Park, Y.K. Jung, Antioxidant and anti-aging carbon quantum dots using tannic acid, Nanotechnology 32 (2021) 415102. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/ac027b
[29] P. Li, L. Sun, S. Xue, D. Qu, L. An, X. Wang, Z. Sun, Recent advances of carbon dots as new antimicrobial agents, SmartMat 3 (2022) 226-248. https://doi.org/10.1002/smm2.1131
[30] A. Jayakumar, S. Radoor, G.H. Shin, J.T. Kim, Lemon peel-based fluorescent carbon quantum dots as a functional filler in polyvinyl alcohol-based films for active packaging applications, Ind. Crops Prod. 209 (2024) 117968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2023.117968
