Nanotechnology has been widely used in the
fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, biology, molecular biology, food and
food packaging. This technology is based on the manipulation of the material
used at the atomic and molecular scale. Nanomaterial is defined as a natural, incidental or manufactured material
containing particles in the size range between 1 nm and 100 nm. It was reported that the total annual quantity of nanomaterials on the
global market is at around 11 million tonnes. Application of the nanotechnology into food
packaging and food products (especially packaged products) prolongs the shelf
life of the product as well as improving its quality. The studies revealed that
nanomaterial applied to packaging material improved its mechanical strength and
permeability, therefore the packaging material protected the freshness of the
product. Benefits of the nanotechnology are promising in the food packaging
industry taking account the growing number of people and the estimated food shortage
in our developing world.
In the scope of this study, the history of the
development of nanotechnology is addressed, the structure of nanomaterials and
nanocomposite structures developed from these materials are defined, and the
application of nanotechnology to foods and food packagings are reviewed. In this context, the use of silver, titanium
dioxide, zinc oxide, silicon dioxide, MgO nanoparticles, polimer techonology, an antimicrobial nanocomposite film and nanosensors was explained. Moreover, the
effects of nanotechnology applications on health was also discussed.
Primary Language | English |
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Journal Section | Article |
Authors | |
Publication Date | November 30, 2017 |
Published in Issue | Year 2017 Volume: 1 Issue: 2 |
Eurasian Journal of Food Science and Technology (EJFST) e-ISSN: 2667-4890 Web: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ejfst e-mail: foodsciencejournal@gmail.com