The conversation about nanofoods often centers around nanoparticles being added to foods or food packaging materials in order to affect food sensory characteristics, quality attributes, nutrition or safety.  However, a wholly separate projected function of nanotechnology in the food sector is the use of nanoscale materials to help food safety specialists quickly and selectively detect chemical and biological analytes that could threaten the food supply.  Such sensors, which may be incorporated into packaging materials for real-time, noninvasive monitoring of food conditions or for rapid detection of contaminants or pathogens after a suspected exposure, offer significant advantages over conventional sensing methodologies and could revolutionize the way that industry groups and regulatory agencies ensure that food products are safe for the public to consume.  This presentation will provide an overview of current work ongoing in this exciting field, as well as a description of significant challenges that need to be overcome.

Using nanotechnology to make foods safer: Nanoparticles as sensors for small molecules, protein toxins, and foodborne pathogens

244th National Meeting (2012)

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