A Review on Blockchain Applications in Operational Technology for Food and Agriculture Critical Infrastructure
The food and agriculture sector is a cornerstone of critical infrastructure (CI), underpinning global food security, public health, and economic stability. However, the increasing digitalization and connectivity of operational technologies (OTs) in this sector expose it to significant cybersecurity...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/2/251 |
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| author | Chengliang Zheng Xiangzhen Peng Ziyue Wang Tianyu Ma Jiajia Lu Leiyang Chen Liang Dong Long Wang Xiaohui Cui Zhidong Shen |
| author_facet | Chengliang Zheng Xiangzhen Peng Ziyue Wang Tianyu Ma Jiajia Lu Leiyang Chen Liang Dong Long Wang Xiaohui Cui Zhidong Shen |
| author_sort | Chengliang Zheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The food and agriculture sector is a cornerstone of critical infrastructure (CI), underpinning global food security, public health, and economic stability. However, the increasing digitalization and connectivity of operational technologies (OTs) in this sector expose it to significant cybersecurity risks. Blockchain technology (BT) has emerged as a transformative solution for addressing these challenges by enhancing network security, traceability, and system resilience. This study presents a comprehensive review of BT applications in OT security for food and agriculture CI, employing bibliometric and content analysis methods. A total of 124 relevant articles were identified from six databases, including the Web of Science Core Collection and MEDLINE<sup>®</sup>. Bibliometric analysis was conducted across five dimensions: publication year, literature type, journal distribution, country contributions, and keyword trends. The findings are meticulously organized through tables, charts, and graphs. The year 2018 marked a surge in research within this domain, with the IEEE Internet of Things Journal and IEEE ACESS emerging as the most prolific journals, each boasting nine publications. The United States, China, and India are at the forefront in terms of journal citation counts. Our analysis determined that a reference count of 37 serves as an appropriate threshold. Otoum Safa stands out as the author with the highest number of published articles, totaling four. Keywords such as “blockchain”, “internet of things”, “smart contract”, “security”, and “critical infrastructure” appear with significant frequency. The statistics, trends, and insights gleaned from this bibliometric analysis can guide researchers in the OTCI field to forge a coherent and logical research trajectory. Content analysis further identified six key research areas within this domain: identity authentication and data verification, secure access control, attack detection and perception, data security and protection, data backup and recovery, and attack assessment and attribution. Based on these insights, a general framework is proposed to guide future research and practical applications of BT in securing OT within food and agriculture CI. This study systematically analyzes the current research landscape, challenges, and opportunities for BT in securing the OT critical to food and agriculture CI. By bridging the gap between blockchain innovations and the operational needs of the food and agriculture sector, this work contributes to advancing strategic implementation and improving the security of CI systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e6f6936d72e448d1888f7e07722c474f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj-art-e6f6936d72e448d1888f7e07722c474f2025-01-24T13:33:01ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-01-0114225110.3390/foods14020251A Review on Blockchain Applications in Operational Technology for Food and Agriculture Critical InfrastructureChengliang Zheng0Xiangzhen Peng1Ziyue Wang2Tianyu Ma3Jiajia Lu4Leiyang Chen5Liang Dong6Long Wang7Xiaohui Cui8Zhidong Shen9Key Laboratory of Aerospace Information Security and Trusted Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaKey Laboratory of Aerospace Information Security and Trusted Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaKey Laboratory of Aerospace Information Security and Trusted Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaKey Laboratory of Aerospace Information Security and Trusted Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaKey Laboratory of Aerospace Information Security and Trusted Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaKey Laboratory of Aerospace Information Security and Trusted Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaKey Laboratory of Aerospace Information Security and Trusted Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaCollege of Information and Communication, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 430013, ChinaKey Laboratory of Aerospace Information Security and Trusted Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaKey Laboratory of Aerospace Information Security and Trusted Computing, Ministry of Education, School of Cyber Science and Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, ChinaThe food and agriculture sector is a cornerstone of critical infrastructure (CI), underpinning global food security, public health, and economic stability. However, the increasing digitalization and connectivity of operational technologies (OTs) in this sector expose it to significant cybersecurity risks. Blockchain technology (BT) has emerged as a transformative solution for addressing these challenges by enhancing network security, traceability, and system resilience. This study presents a comprehensive review of BT applications in OT security for food and agriculture CI, employing bibliometric and content analysis methods. A total of 124 relevant articles were identified from six databases, including the Web of Science Core Collection and MEDLINE<sup>®</sup>. Bibliometric analysis was conducted across five dimensions: publication year, literature type, journal distribution, country contributions, and keyword trends. The findings are meticulously organized through tables, charts, and graphs. The year 2018 marked a surge in research within this domain, with the IEEE Internet of Things Journal and IEEE ACESS emerging as the most prolific journals, each boasting nine publications. The United States, China, and India are at the forefront in terms of journal citation counts. Our analysis determined that a reference count of 37 serves as an appropriate threshold. Otoum Safa stands out as the author with the highest number of published articles, totaling four. Keywords such as “blockchain”, “internet of things”, “smart contract”, “security”, and “critical infrastructure” appear with significant frequency. The statistics, trends, and insights gleaned from this bibliometric analysis can guide researchers in the OTCI field to forge a coherent and logical research trajectory. Content analysis further identified six key research areas within this domain: identity authentication and data verification, secure access control, attack detection and perception, data security and protection, data backup and recovery, and attack assessment and attribution. Based on these insights, a general framework is proposed to guide future research and practical applications of BT in securing OT within food and agriculture CI. This study systematically analyzes the current research landscape, challenges, and opportunities for BT in securing the OT critical to food and agriculture CI. By bridging the gap between blockchain innovations and the operational needs of the food and agriculture sector, this work contributes to advancing strategic implementation and improving the security of CI systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/2/251food and agricultureblockchain technologycritical infrastructurecybersecuritybibliometric analysis |
| spellingShingle | Chengliang Zheng Xiangzhen Peng Ziyue Wang Tianyu Ma Jiajia Lu Leiyang Chen Liang Dong Long Wang Xiaohui Cui Zhidong Shen A Review on Blockchain Applications in Operational Technology for Food and Agriculture Critical Infrastructure Foods food and agriculture blockchain technology critical infrastructure cybersecurity bibliometric analysis |
| title | A Review on Blockchain Applications in Operational Technology for Food and Agriculture Critical Infrastructure |
| title_full | A Review on Blockchain Applications in Operational Technology for Food and Agriculture Critical Infrastructure |
| title_fullStr | A Review on Blockchain Applications in Operational Technology for Food and Agriculture Critical Infrastructure |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Review on Blockchain Applications in Operational Technology for Food and Agriculture Critical Infrastructure |
| title_short | A Review on Blockchain Applications in Operational Technology for Food and Agriculture Critical Infrastructure |
| title_sort | review on blockchain applications in operational technology for food and agriculture critical infrastructure |
| topic | food and agriculture blockchain technology critical infrastructure cybersecurity bibliometric analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/2/251 |
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