Nanotechnology in Foods - Nanotechnologies in Food and Agriculture - page 2

Chapter 1
Nanotechnology in Foods

Jafarali K. Momin and B.H. Joshi

Abstract The advent of nanotechnology has opened up a whole universe of new
possible applications in food industry. Some of these applications include:
improved taste, flavor, color, texture and consistency of foodstuffs, better absorp-
tion, bioavailability of nutraceuticals and health supplements, food antimicrobials
development, innovative food packaging materials with enhanced mechanical
barrier and antimicrobial properties, nanosensors for traceability and monitoring
food condition during transport and storage, as well as encapsulation of food
components or additives. Bio-separation of proteins, rapid sampling of biological
and chemical contaminants and smart delivery of nutrients, and nanoencapsulation
of nutraceuticals are few more budding areas of nanotechnology for food sectors.
Nanotechnology promises to revolutionize food products within as well as around.
Regulatory systems must be capable of managing any risks associated with
nanofoods as well as the use of nanotechnology in food industry for gaining
confidence. In this chapter, status of nanotechnology applications in food industry
is discussed.

Keywords Food packaging • Food safety • Nanofoods • Nanosensors •

Nanotechnology • Nutraceuticals

1.1 Introduction

The term “nano” is derived from the Greek word meaning dwarf (Sangamithra and
Thirupathi 2009 ). The concept of nanotechnology was given by Richard Feynman
in 1959; however, the term “nanotechnology” was coined in 1974 by the late Norio
Taniguchi (Warad and Dutta 2005 ). Nanoscience is defined as the study of phe-
nomena and the manipulation of materials at the atomic, molecular, and macromo-
lecular scales, where the properties differ from those at a larger scale (Mannino and
Scampicchio 2007 ).