Daffodil International University
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences => Nutrition and Food Engineering => Topic started by: Mostakima Mafruha Lubna on April 21, 2015, 03:02:03 PM
-
Nanotechnology, specifically nanomaterial engineering, has begun to find applications in agriculture and the food industry. Some nanomaterials have unique physicochemical properties that can be exploited for beneficial effects on foods, leading to increased shelf life, enhanced flavor release, and increased absorption of nutrients and other bioactive components.
Of course, there seems to be no limit to what food technologists are prepared to do to our food and nanotechnology will give them a whole new set of tools to go to new extremes. In our special Food Nanotechnology section we have prepared an overview of this area.
The ability to detect and to measure a given nanomaterial at key time points in the food lifecycle is critical for estimating the nanoscale properties of interest that dictate manufacturing consistency and safety, as well as understanding potential beneficial or adverse effects from food intercalation.
In a recent perspectives article in ACS Nano ("Measurement of Nanomaterials in Foods: Integrative Consideration of Challenges and Future Prospects"), scientists describe the state of the science for nanoscale measurement methods development as applied to foods and the alimentary tract and, more importantly, to identify the critical methods' knowledge gaps that must be addressed to inform appropriate risk management and public policy.
This article draws from the combined work of experts participating in the NanoRelease Food Additive (NRFA) project, an international multi-stakeholder effort that aims to address method development needs for nanoscale materials currently used in commerce.
Where is the problem?
According to the authors, there are several factors that complicate the development of methods to detect and to measure nanomaterials in foods and food contact materials.
First, whether naturally present or intentionally added to foods, the potential applications and impacts of nanomaterials within these matrices are diverse.
Secondly, it is extremely important to recognize and to differentiate nanoscale materials that are naturally present in the food supply. For instance, prior to industrial processing, dairy products contain a plethora of associated colloids, biopolymeric nanoparticles, and nanoemulsions.
And finally, a considerable characterization challenge includes the consideration of physicochemical changes as a nanomaterial moves from formulation and preparation through incorporation into foods and ultimately through consumption and absorption. These complexities that affect the biological interactions of the nanomaterial could include the effective nanomaterial size (including agglomeration and aggregation), solubility/dispersibility, chemical form, chemical reactivity, surface chemistry, shape, and porosity.
Whereas relatively pristine nanomaterials at the point of their manufacture are fairly straightforward to characterize, these materials undergo physical and/or chemical changes during food processing, packaging, aging, and during their transit through the alimentary tract. Especially this last area – the inherent complexity of the mammalian alimentary tract – creates additional complications for nanomaterial characterization.
As the authors point out, the pH, ionic strength, composition, and absorptive surfaces of the alimentary tract vary considerably, and the composition of the food matrix changes during digestion. In addition, the microflora with which nanoparticles interact may change dramatically in terms of both species and numbers.
Ref - © Nanowerk