Shuyi Chen, Yuxuan Wang, Kai Fan
ABSTRACT Spoilage of aquatic products is hard to identify in daily scenarios, posing significant food safety risks. To address this issue, functional food packaging loaded with anthocyanins has become a potential solution for integrated freshness monitoring and preservation of aquatic products, thanks to its inherent pH‐responsive property. This review systematically and comprehensively analyses the interaction mechanisms between anthocyanins and various biopolymers (such as chitosan, gelatine, starch). It uses characterization techniques like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to verify the structure and interfacial compatibility of composite films. We established an innovative correlation between the colorimetric response of anthocyanin‐based films and key aquatic product freshness indicators (total viable count ≤ 6.0 log CFU/g, total volatile basic nitrogen ≤ 20 mg/100 g), effectively extending the shelf life of aquatic products. Studies have confirmed that anthocyanin‐based composite films can enhance antibacterial and antioxidant activities, effectively extending the shelf life of aquatic products by 2–3 times compared with traditional packaging. In summary, the proposed colorimetric monitoring technology combined with smartphone analysis enables non‐destructive, standardized and low‐cost detection of aquatic product freshness. It reduces errors in manual judgement and provides effective technical support for the full‐chain freshness control of aquatic products. This study also boasts dual advantages of intelligent monitoring and green biodegradability and enriches the theoretical system of eco‐friendly intelligent food packaging. It holds broad industrial application prospects in the aquatic product processing and circulation industry and contributes to the sustainable development of the food packaging industry.