The hope of nanotechnology lies in the fact that it can allow the re-engineering of food components so that healthy nutrients can be absorbed by the body more efficiently while blocking the entry of substances that are less beneficial or even harmful to our health.
European food companies are already using nanotechnology in the field of consumer products, but this information is not communicated effectively to customers.
"All of us, as scientists, are affected by nanoscience and bioscience and there are many issues in these fields. The interdisciplinary aspect is just one of them," said Rod Hill, a professor at the University of Idaho and one of the organizers of a conference discussing these issues. One of the research works that will be presented at this conference will be the work of two students from the University of California and the University of Massachusetts that combines nanotechnology with biology and chemistry.
"In the food aspect there is wider public opposition to nanomaterials and nanotechnology in food products while in the biomedical aspect there is greater public acceptance or fewer reservations," added Hill.
Its focus on applications, products and processes, and on sensors useful for food safety and quality control as well as food packaging, reflects the broad scope of nanotechnology applications in the food industry.
"The problem I always encounter is that people don't understand what we do with nanotechnology and food," says one of the researchers in the field. "The ordinary person has the simplistic notion that nanotechnology is nanoparticles and these, in turn, are dangerous - so they are worried that nanoparticles in food will have a negative effect on their health."
The hope of nanotechnology, says the Dutch scientist, lies in the fact that it can allow the re-engineering of food components so that healthy nutrients can be absorbed by the body more efficiently while blocking the entry of substances that are less beneficial or even harmful to our health.
European food scientists are using nanotechnology to prepare special food structures that can deliver nutrients to certain areas of the body for the best results, the researcher adds.
"We actually produce nanostructures in food that are designed to break down in the body as a result of their meeting in the digestive juices, so that in the end no nanoparticles will be left behind," explains the researcher.
He said some researchers are studying the impact of persistent nanoparticles in food and certain packaging that he believes could pose a danger. The use of metal nanoparticles, usually silver, in the packaging products to prevent spoilage of the food products, can cause their transfer from the packaging to the food itself.
"The resistant metal nanoparticles, or their oxides, can penetrate the blood system, and researchers have shown that they are able to migrate into the interior of cells, or even, in some cases, into the interior of cell nuclei," explains the researcher.
"These are the more controversial applications of nanotechnology," explains the researcher. "Further research is needed to fully understand the kinetics and dynamics of these particles before commercial-scale food applications are brought to market. Today, the existence of these types of nanoparticles in food products is rare."
