Xiaocheng Pan

Increasing consumer demand for safer and more sustainable food preservation has stimulated interest in natural pigments as multifunctional components in active and intelligent food systems. This review critically summarizes curcumin-, anthocyanin-, and carotenoid-based systems for food preservation and freshness monitoring, focusing on their mechanisms, material strategies, food-matrix-dependent performance, and technological challenges. Curcumin mainly contributes antioxidant, antimicrobial, and photoresponsive functions, especially photodynamic inactivation when supported by suitable carriers. Anthocyanins provide pH- and amine-responsive colorimetric signals for intelligent freshness monitoring, whereas carotenoids primarily protect oxidation-sensitive foods through radical quenching and lipid oxidation inhibition. Recent incorporation of these pigments into biopolymer films, edible coatings, emulsions, nanocarriers, hydrogels, aerogels, cyclodextrin complexes, metal–organic frameworks, and deep eutectic solvent-assisted systems has improved pigment stability, dispersion, barrier performance, and controlled release. However, poor solubility, environmental instability, matrix interference, migration safety, sensory impacts, quantitative calibration, and scalability remain unresolved. Future development should emphasize mechanism-guided formulation, real-food validation, and safe, stable, scalable pigment-based systems tailored to specific deterioration pathways and commercial applications.

Biodegradable medical implants have fundamentally transformed the field of biomedical engineering by providing sustainable and biocompatible alternatives that obviate the need for secondary surgical removal and facilitate endogenous tissue regeneration. This comprehensive review systematically evaluates recent advancements in biodegradable implants utilized across a spectrum of medical applications, including internal medicine, surgical interventions, and medical devices. The developments discussed herein signify substantial progress in material synthesis, characterization, and processing techniques, effectively addressing critical challenges associated with the integration of biodegradable devices into medical implants. Although biodegradable medical implants promise advanced patient care, widespread clinical translation is hindered by inconsistent degradation rates mismatched with healing timelines, insufficient load‐bearing strength, and potential inflammatory or toxic by‐products. Additionally, most studies exhibit application‐material imbalances, inadequate in vivo validation, and poorly controlled degradation behavior. Future efforts must clarify degradation mechanisms and treat materials as therapeutic agents. By synthesizing recent findings and highlighting critical gaps, this review provides valuable insights to guide innovation in biodegradable implant technologies, ultimately enhancing clinical outcomes and accelerating regenerative medicine's progress. Addressing these challenges is crucial for realizing their full clinical potential.