Technology Blending with Food: The Use of Nanotechnology

By: Richard Jordan

Food is an ever growing enterprise. To expand the shelf life or quality of the food that is sold in the market is in high demand by corporations due to the increase in possible profit generated by it. Leading the way in these areas is nanotechnology. Many people probably don't associate nanotechnology with food products, but it in fact is currently being used and researched heavily to give some of these foods the added benefits they need. Along with a brief description of nanotechnology, there will be a thorough look into the products that gain support from nanotechnology and a description of some of the main uses of nanotechnology in food. By the end of the article, you will have a clear understanding of what nanotech is and how it is going to affect the food supply in the world.

Nanotechnology, Just What is It?

In order to understand nanotechnology in food you first must understand what the word nanotechnology entails. Nanotechnology is a branch of science that studies particles at an extremely small scale. How small you ask? Any application or design that can be measured on the nanoscale - which is something measured at the billionths of a meter. This could be compared to roughly one millionth the size of a pinhead(Robinson, Kerry)! Another example of how small nanometers are is to take the thickness of paper and look at it in terms of nanometers: basically taking just one sheet of it will equal 100,000 nanometers. To be more specific, nanotechnology is basically any process controlling matter at or between a scale of 1 - 100 nanometers(National Nanotechnology Initiative).

Nanotechnology can be found in both the lab and in nature. One example of it out in nature is with the casein proteins that are found in human and cow milk(Robinson, Kerry). A couple examples of food improved in the lab, which where stated by Ahmed ElAmin in fooproductiondaily.com, were a canola oil product, cocoa drink, and chocolate gum.

Applications of Nanotechnology in Food

While there are many uses of nanotechnology, there is one area that is being applied in today's research and development: The use of nanotechnology in food. A multitude of uses are being examined and developed at research facilities. Here's a listing of some popular designs and some of them a brief description of what it is that is changing with nanotech (From EnvironmentalLeader.com and Kerry Robinson):

• Antimicrobial packaging - Different research being done with this i.e. edible food films or maybe nano particles that effectively kill bacteria.


• Improved food storage - This is done by changing how the container the food is in is structured. Good uses for this are with oxygen sensitive foods.


• Advanced ingredient and nutrient delivery system - Doing something called nano-encapsulating can help introduce nutrients.


• Greener packaging - One way of doing this by taking organic corn or lobster shells and making nano-fibers from them.


• Pesticide reduction - Research is being done on cloth that releases the pesticides when needed instead of constantly spraying.


• Texture of food


• Flavor of food - Using nanotechnology to 'trick' our senses into eating foods by adding blockers and enhancers.


• Idenifying bacteria - can track and remove bacteria by having Improved processing of food


• Reduction of energy use and an environmental impact

This article can only scratch the surface of the usefulness of nanotechnology used in food. If the topic interests you, check out some technology sites geared towards food. One such site is www.ift.org.

Benefits of Nanotechnology

The benefits you see in foods is largely from outside sources such as in the packaging and storage of the food. The benefits of nanotechnology go hand in hand with the applications for nanotechnology. With nanotechnology being added to these areas, foods have a chance to stay fresher and cleaner in today's markets over previous methods and practices. Being able to check for the presence of bacteria such as E. coli is definitely important and with nanotechnology, just flashing a light over the food could tell you what bacteria is on the food(EnvironmentalLeader). Also another benefit is the capability that it may increase the supply and availability of food. One way it may do this is by being able to make use of once barren land for crops (Adnan, Amna). Looking at benefits such as these, it's hard to say that nanotechnology isn't improving the quality of the food we enjoy.

Nanotechnology: Shaping the World

While there are many uses both discovered and undiscovered in the area of nanotechnology, there is definitely a bright future for it in the area of food in terms of how it is processed, delivered, packaged, stored, etc. This article covered what nanotechnology is while describing the uses and benefits of nanotechnology in the area of food. Without nanotechnology, much more food would be going to waste due to a short shelf life, but with nanotechnology there can be seen more food being bought without expiring. These kinds of added benefits to our foods is what we need in stores. I believe that nanotechnology is a great idea and a very good venture for any company dealing in food. It could possibly save and gain many more dollars due to its renovation of certain processes in the food industry.

Bibliography

National Nanotechnology Initiative. 2011. Apr 2011. http://www.nano.gov/html/facts/whatIsNano.html

Adnan, Amna. "Nanotechnology Applications in Medicine, Food Industry, and Agriculture." BiotechArticles. 2010. Apr 2011 http://www.biotecharticles.com/Nanotechnology-Article/Nanotechnology-Applications-in-Medicine-Food-Industry-and-Agriculture-339.html

Robinson, Kerry. "Navigating Food Nanotechnology." Food Safety News. 2010. Apr 2011 http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/08/navigating-food-nanotechnology/

"Top 10 Uses of NanoTechnology in Food." EnvirionmentLeader. 2009. Apr 2011 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/02/24/top-10-uses-of-nanotechnology-in-food/

"Nanotechnology in Food." UnderstandingNano. 2007. Apr 2011 http://www.understandingnano.com/food.html