Abstract
Naturally occurring bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and vitamins play critical roles in human health and sustainable food systems. Yet their widespread utilization is constrained by complex detection methods and limited accessibility. This review explores how smartphones are emerging as transformative platforms for real-time analysis, enhanced synergy discovery, and personalized nutrition. By integrating spectroscopy, imaging, electrochemical sensing, microfluidics, and AI, smartphones now enable field-grade assays that rival laboratory precision at a fraction of the cost. Their deployment across agriculture, food processing, and consumer health is examined, with a focus on how smartphone-based tools can be used to quantify synergistic interactions between bioactives, optimize nutrient retention, and deliver data-driven dietary guidance. Coupled with machine learning, these devices can identify optimal compound pairings and adapt recommendations to individual physiology and environmental conditions. Limitations related to sensor calibration, data standards, and regulatory readiness are also highlighted. Finally, a roadmap for advancing smartphone-enabled nutrition science through standardization, accessibility, and responsible innovation is presented. As smartphones evolve from passive sensors into intelligent, connected analyzers, they hold unprecedented potential to reshape food quality monitoring, democratize nutrition, and accelerate the global transition toward more resilient and health-focused food systems.