Nanotechnology in food sector: Current developments and future prospects

摘要

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology are new frontiers of this century and are promising to open up a wide array of opportunities that are expected to give major impulses to technical innovations in a variety of industrial sectors in the future. This paperdiscusses the state of the art of nanotechnology R&D and products in food and nutrition, where it is anticipated that nanotechnology applications would bring a range of benefits, including deciphering new tastes and textures, less use of fat, enhanced absorption and smart delivery of nutrients, improved packaging, traceability and security of food products by rapid sampling of biological and chemical contaminants. This review also gives an overview of scientific issues that need to be addressed with priority in order to improve the risk assessment for nanoparticles in food.