The Role of Nanotechnology in Food Industries- A Review

Abstract

This paper, points on the synoptic roles of nanotechnology in food industries which cover sectors such as food processing, encapsulation of nutraceuticals, food packaging, and food quality monitoring to enhance food safety and security. Nanotechnology refers to the engineering of material structures and sizes ranging from 1–100 nm to suit the need for different sectors. Nanotechnology possesses great potential to apply at all areas of the food sector, ensuring modification of color and flavor, nutritional values, increasing the shelf life of food, and monitoring the integrity of food via barcodes such as cold chain, i.e. whenever there is a slight change occur in food storage condition because of its submicroscopic nature. It can also modify permeation of materials by the incorporation of synthesized nanoparticles (zinc, silver, gold e.t.c) for better packaging system. From this review, it is evidently clear that the role of nanotechnology in food industries cannot be overemphasized. Currently, in nanotechnology, nanosensors serve as diagnostic devices to monitor food processes to meet the wholeness and safety of food.