Active food packaging can protect food from microbial contamination, whereas smart food packaging can be used to monitor food freshness and changes in its quality in real time. Curcumin, the main active substance of turmeric, exhibits preservation effects in part due to its antibacterial, antioxidant, and UV blocking properties. Furthermore, it can act as a photosensitizer to produce reactive oxygen species under radiation at specific wavelengths, thereby destroying bacterial cell membranes via an antibacterial effect. In addition, curcumin can also be used as a pH indicator to monitor and evaluate the deterioration of food in real time. In fact, this compound has been widely used in active and smart food packaging. In this study, the structure of curcumin, as well as its physical and chemical properties, were evaluated. The working mechanism of curcumin as an antibacterial, antioxidant, and UV blocking agent, as well as a photosensitizer and pH indicator in active and smart food active packaging, and the relevant research progress, are discussed. Suggestions for further research and development of curcumin in food packaging are also presented. Thus, this study provides a theoretical foundation for research on curcumin in food packaging in the future.
