Industrial IoT in the Food Sector: A Scopus Bibliometric Mapping

¹ Department of Mathematics, Physics and Information Technologies, Faculty of Economics, University of Food Technologies, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
² Department of Computer Science and Mathematics, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

This study uses bibliometric analysis of data from Scopus to map scientific output on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) in the food sector between 2014 and 2025. Two approaches were applied: co-authorship by country and co-occurrence of all, author, and index keywords, with an overlay of the average year of publication. The results demonstrate an increasing volume of publications during this time period, the central role of the IoT/IIoT, and robust connections to Industry 4.0, machine learning, cybersecurity, and applications in energy and maintenance. Overlay analysis revealed new topics, such as digital twins, federated learning, and privacy-preserving techniques. The co-authorship network identifies leading research centers in the US, China, and Europe, as well as growing activity in the Middle East and Global South. This study provides a multi-layered picture of the thematic structure and evolution of the IIoT in the food industry. The findings can support researchers in identifying emerging research gaps, help policymakers prioritize investment in digitalization of the agri-food chain, and guide industry stakeholders such as food manufacturers and logistics providers in adopting IIoT solutions for improved traceability, efficiency, and sustainability.