Nanotechnology has become one of the most important and exciting cutting-edge fields in Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, and Biology. This science is based on recognizing particles with sizes less than 100 nanometers. The prefix nano means one billionth and they are particles that confer new properties and new behaviors to the nanostructures that are built with them. This happens because the particles, which are smaller than the characteristic lengths associated with a particular phenomenon, frequently manifest a new chemistry and physics, which leads to a new behavior that depends on the size. Certainly, the nanometer is a very small amount, which is very difficult to imagine.
Source
Due to the demand by consumers of new products, more durable, safer, with nutritional and healthy properties, the food industry has spent years researching the development of new technologies that can respond to these concerns. At present, new technologies have emerged that have been innovating and improving the quality of life. Nanotechnology is one of them.
Source
In the food industry, three large areas have been identified in which it is considered that nanotechnology can contribute in a beneficial way: primary production, processing, and food packaging. Its main applications stand out in areas such as:
In packaging "smart packaging": they increase shelf life, maintain freshness, prevent loss of vitamins, detect contamination and are biodegradable.
Smart labels: indicate the quality of storage, if the container has been broken or if it has begun to deteriorate.
Development "functional nano-foods": the technology of new foods with functional nutritive properties.
The improvement of processes in foods such as nanoemulsions and nanorecovers: forms of encapsulation of functional components for better availability and avoid unpleasant tastes and odors.
Food quality and safety "nanosensors": biodegradable devices for monitoring temperature and humidity. As well as the eventual identification of pathogens and/or pests in storage conditions. These can change color if the food is not fresh.
Antimicrobial activity: titanium dioxide, food dye that can be used as a protective barrier in food packaging or silver nanoparticles used as antimicrobial agents in storage and packaging containers.
Source
Nanotechnology is revolutionizing the world, is producing more resistant and smart materials, creating nano foods that are closer to our tables than we think. However, food safety specialists and regulators have begun to discuss whether current food safety legislation is adequate to ensure that new nano-food products that appear on the market are tested as safe.
Source
The production of nanoparticles, is a relatively new field, needs to have methods for their detection and characterization, hence the investigations are focused mainly on developing analytical systems that allow locating them in food, which is called as "nanosegument", whose objective is to respond to the concern for the use of this technique throughout the entire production chain.
Although it is very true that it is necessary to have laws that protect consumers from possible risks since until now these foods are governed by the regulations that apply to new foods. However, currently, there is a legal vacuum that hinders the stimulation of demand by companies and that will have to be solved in the future. It is particularly important to ensure that consumers can have the necessary tools to accompany decision-making in the purchase of products designed based on the use of nanotechnology, arranging in a timely manner the information to evaluate the benefits and properties declared in their tags.
Reference: