# Emerging Perspectives of Blockchains in Food Supply Chain Traceability Based on Patent Analysis
## 5 Conclusions  
BCs have great potential for application in FSCs. Numerous research activities have focused on the possibility of applying BCs in FSCs, but, as a consequence of numerous barriers, this technology is not yet widely applied in FSCs. The process of patenting in the field of application of BC technologies in FSCs started relatively recently, and the highest number of patents originate from China, India, and the US.  
The analysis of latent topics using LDA indicates that inventions related to the application of BCs in FSCs are patented in four key areas: (A) BC-supported tracing and tracking in FSCs; (B) devices and methods supporting the application of BCs in FSCs; (C) combining BCs and other ICT technologies in FSCs; and (D) BC-supported trading in FSCs. The countries of the patent applications differ significantly by topic, with China leading, in the case of BC-supported tracing and tracking (A), development of devices and methods supporting the application of BCs in FSCs (B), and BC-supported trading in FSCs (D), while, in the case of combining BCs and other ICT technologies in FSCs (C), the dominant share of patents is from India. In the case of the US, patent activities are significant in the case of BC-supported tracing and tracking (A) and BC-supported trading in FSCs (D).  
Based on the indicators, the value of patents were relatively low, which, in the case of patent forward citation, can be attributed to the short time that has elapsed since patent application, while, in the case of family size, it confirms that the application of blockchains in FSCs has not yet been widely accepted, and it is still rather a matter of solving case-level challenges.  
The most influential are patents on the topic area related to BC-supported tracing and tracking in FSCs, which can be attributed to the fact that traceability in FSCs is a legal obligation for all entities involved in food supply, which further increases the need to simplify the extensive work of food tracing and tracking and make it more reliable by applying new IT solutions.  
The exponential growth in the number of patent applications in the field of BC technology application in FSCs suggest that a significant increase in the adoption of this technology can be expected in the near future. Development and implementation of measures for the mitigation of barriers related to the introduction of BC technology in FSCs would undoubtedly accelerate this process.  
Conceptualization and Experimental Design: J.M., D.K., Z.K. and G.O.; Statistical analyses: D.K.; Results analysis and Data curation: J.M., D.K. and Z.K.; Writing--Original Draft Preparation: Z.K. and D.K.; Writing--Review and Editing: Z.K., J.M., R.K., M.D. and D.U.S.; Supervision: D.K. and G.O. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (under Grants: 451-03-68/2022-14/200222; 451-03-68/2022-14/200325; 451-03-68/2022-14/200) and the project Blockchain platform for support of certification of added value agricultural products funded by Secretariat of Higher Education and Research of Vojvodina Province under Grant 142-451-2406/2022-01/01.  
Not applicable.  
The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.