Definitions and applications

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ( #OECD) refers to #nanotechnology as a set of #technologies that enables the manipulation, study or exploitation of very small structures and systems. Nanotechnology applications have been reported across a number of specific product areas, including #foods (such as enhanced protection offered by improved food #packaging materials, or improved delivery of a functional ingredient or a nutrient in food and #medical products (such as increased #bioavailability, decreased dosage, or increased potency of a drug product and decreased toxicity of a drug product). Foods and medical products are subject to regulatory oversight in many countries to ensure their safety and, in some cases, effectiveness. Nanotechnology can pose new challenges to #governments to support its responsible development when used in food and medical products, through an appropriate and balanced oversight.

New era of Food packing

Environmental factors, oxidation and microorganisms’ contamination, are the major causes for food spoilage, which leads to sensory features alteration, loss of quality, production of harmful chemicals and growth of foodborne pathogens capable to cause severe illness. Synthetic preservatives, traditional conserving methods and food packaging (FP), although effective in counteracting food spoilage, do not allow the real-time monitoring of food quality during storage and transportation and assent a relatively short shelf life. In addition, FP may protect food by the spoilage caused by external contaminations, but is ineffective against foodborne microorganisms. FP preservative functionalities could be improved adding edible natural antioxidants and antimicrobials, but such chemicals are easily degradable. Nanotechnology has a wide range of food-related applications. In these applications, a specific type of nanomaterial is incorporated into a specific food product in order for that food product to develop certain desired properties. The field of nanotechnology has also been an integral part of research and development for the large-scale manufacturing of agricultural products and processed foods and drinks, as well as for food packaging across the world .Several reports confirm that these nanomaterials can successfully improve food safety by enhancing the efficacy of food packaging, shelf-life, and nutritional value as additives without changing the taste and physical characteristics of food products . Although they have much potential to frame innovative products and production processes in the food industry, nano techniques are facing a major challenge in using cost-effective processing operations to create edible and non-toxic nano-delivery systems and to develop effective formulations that are safe for human consumption. Therefore, due to the increased use of these NSMs, there have been growing concerns regarding the development of biocompatible, safe, and non-toxic nanostructures from food-grade ingredients using simple, green, and cost-effective strategies, including the layer-by-layer technique. United states-based safety evaluation agencies such as FDA and EPA, including the Directorate of European Health and Consumer Protection, and many other regulatory authorities, have released several guidelines on potential human health risks associated with the use of nanostructure materials in food. Nano toxicity mediated via generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is considered a crucial mechanism leading to successive human oxidative stress . Also, there is a huge interest in using nanomaterials in various fields, including their safety concerns. Consequently, there is a compelling demand to address these issues so as to expand our knowledge on the use of nanomaterials/ nanostructures in terms of their biocompatibility, safety, and toxicity in the food sector.

Nanotechnology in food packaging and security

The packaging of food is one of the most critical steps in terms of food safety. Natural substances, atmospheric gases and water vapors are absolutely impermeable to no packaging materials. However, completing blocking the migration and permeability of gases is not desirable in the case of packaging fresh fruits and vegetables that undergo cellular respiration. With the evident differences between lab scale and real food packaging applications, a slow sustained delivery of antimicrobials is a very important factor that can mean the difference between life and death. It is crucial to evaluate a microbe for which antimicrobial is to be targeted. When microbes with very short lag periods are a reason of food spoilage selecting a polymer which releases the antimicrobial very slowly over a period of time will not prove out to be effective. Therefore, it is essential to select the right package of the antimicrobial agent and environmental condition for a particular food product. Although it might happen if the antimicrobial is too compatible it may not get released or incompatible that will be released within minutes. Proper care should be taken while selecting and incorporating the antimicrobial into the food packaging film by evaluating all the implications of food safety and harsh reality of microbial resistance. Thus based on the research work carried out by various scientist around the globe it is imperative that we establish the use of a multidisciplinary approach by bringing together experts from all the fields of biotechnology particularly microbiology, food technology, engineering, and material science to create a promising withstanding future of #antimicrobials in food packaging #industry.