Frontiers in Life Science

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Nanotechnology for human food: Advances and

perspective

Ill-Min Chung, Govindasamy Rajakumar, Thandapani Gomathi, Seung-Kyu

Park, Seung-Hyun Kim & Muthu Thiruvengadam

To cite this article: Ill-Min Chung, Govindasamy Rajakumar, Thandapani Gomathi, Seung-Kyu
Park, Seung-Hyun Kim & Muthu Thiruvengadam (2017) Nanotechnology for human food: Advances
and perspective, Frontiers in Life Science, 10:1, 63-72, DOI: 10.1080/21553769.2017.1365775

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FRONTIERS IN LIFE SCIENCE, 2017
VOL. 10, NO. 1, 63–72
https://doi.org/10.1080/21553769.2017.1365775

Nanotechnology for human food: Advances and perspective

Ill-Min Chunga , Govindasamy Rajakumara , Thandapani Gomathib , Seung-Kyu Parka , Seung-Hyun Kima and
Muthu Thiruvengadama
a Department of Applied Bioscience, College of Life and Environmental Science, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; b Department of
Chemistry, D.K.M. College for Women, Vellore, India

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

Nanotechnology is an exciting and rapidly emerging field in agriculture and food science. The usage Received 18 December 2016
of nanoscale materials in sensing and detection applications is growing quickly, providing alterna- Accepted 6 August 2017
tive methods to conventional techniques for detecting chemical and biological contaminants in KEYWORDS
foods, beverages, and other products. Nanotechnology has the potential to innovate the agricul- Food packaging; food safety;
tural, feed, and food sectors (further stated as agri/feed/food). Applications that are marketed already nanofood; nanotechnology;
feature original product packaging with antimicrobial nanoparticles, and agrochemicals and nutri- nanomaterials
ents that have been nano-encapsulated. Many nano-enabled products are presently under research
and development, and may be introduced into the industry in the future. As with any other struc-
tured product, for market sanctions, applications need to prove the safe use of such new products
without posing unwarranted safety risks to the consumer or the environment. In this review, we
summarize the uses of nanotechnology related to food and nutraceuticals, while also identifying the
outstanding challenges.

Introduction
Nanotechnology remains a remarkable illustration of
rising advances in this century (Bachmann et al. 2001).
Several financial experts predicted that this technol-
ogy would turn out to be booming by 2025 (Glenn
and Gordon 1997). Numbers from distinctive sources
appear to bolster this confidence and may hint towards
the imperativeness of their ideas. Nanotechnology
includes the portrayal, manufacture, and control of
structures, gadgets, or materials that have at least
one measurement, that is, 1–100 nm long. When the
molecule size is diminished beneath this range, the
material displays physical and compound properties
that differ from the properties of macroscale materials
made out of the same substance. Research in the nan-
otechnology field has soared in the most recent decade,
and various organizations are currently gaining prac-
tical experience in creating new types of nanosized
matter, with foreseen applications that incorporate
medicinal therapeutics and diagnostics, vitality gen-
eration, sub-atomic registering, and supporting mate-
rials. The use of nanotechnology to make nanoscale
products for research and development is a burgeon-
ing field and the bright future of nanoparticle research
is foreseeable today not only because of its potential
applications but also because it offers new synthetic
pathways (Chung et al. 2017). Nanotechnology can
be applied to improve food flavour and texture, to
decrease fat content, or to encapsulate nutrients (e.g.
vitamins), so as to ensure they do not degrade dur-
ing a product’s shelf life (Sekhon 2010). Nanotech-
nology can potentially improve our presently dismal
nutrient use efficacy by nanoformulation of fertiliz-
ers, breaking yield, and nutritional quality barriers
through bionanotechnology, investigation, and control
of pests and diseases by considering the mechanism of
host–parasite interactions at the molecular scale, and
development of next-generation pesticides and safe
carriers (Mukhopadhyay 2014).
In 2008, nanotechnology requested over $15 billion
in overall innovative work cash (open and private)
and utilized more than 400,000 specialists world-
wide (Roco 2011; Roco, Harthorn, et al. 2011; Roco,
Mirkin, et al. 2011). Various thematic fields for the

CONTACT Muthu Thiruvengadam thiruv30@yahoo.com Department of Applied Bioscience, College of Life and Environmental Science, Konkuk
University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea
© 2017 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
64 I.-M. CHUNG ET AL.

Table 1. Nanoresearch thematic areas rele- guarantees and chances of nanotechnologies are criti-
vant to agri-food systems. cal for people, considering the effects they would have
S.No. Nanoresearch area on the general population, going as far as the qual-
1. Nanoparticles ity of life and creation of wealth. Then again, nan-
2. Quantum dots
3. Carbon nanotubes otechnology has natural hazards and risks besides the
4. Dendrimers conceivably enormous advantages that are stated here
5. Fullerenes
6. Biosensors (Figure 1).
7. Diagnostic kits The nanomaterials that are consolidated into buyer
8. Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)
9. Biochips items are usually dormant. Succeeding rushes of nano-
10. Microfluidics and nanofluidics
11. Smart delivery systems
based items are likely to have far more prominent
12. Nanofiltration and more significant societal ramifications, especially
13. Nanofibres
14. Nanoscale processes
since the fields of nanotechnology, biotechnology, and
data innovation keep uniting and converging with
each other (Michelson and Rejeski 2006). Concerns
nanotechnological applications are shown in Table 1.
connected with nanotechnology are communicated
Nanotechnologies are anticipated to be worth $3
with the administration of rising advances (Michel-
trillion over the worldwide economy by 2020, and
son and Rejeski 2006). The issues, for example, ‘open
nanotechnology commercial enterprises overall may
observation’ and ‘economical administration of nan-
require no less than 6 million labourers to bolster them
otechnology’ are critical ideas that must be examined
before the decade is over (Roco, Harthorn, et al. 2011).
painstakingly (Macoubrie 2004; Lee et al. 2005). It is
It is difficult to survey the real financial capability of
likely that an open view of nanotechnology will be
nanotechnology (Malanowski and Zweck 2007; Sozer
vital for the acknowledgment of mechanical advances
and Kokini 2009); to date, it has been utilized in differ-
(Lee et al. 2005). There are well-being and ecological
ent fields, for example, computer gadgets, communi-
concerns regarding future ramifications of nanotech-
cation, energy formation, solutions, and food industry
nologies. These concerns may influence the readiness-
(Sozer and Kokini 2009), likely obliging novel admin-
to-purchase practices of consumers (Lee et al. 2005;
istrative techniques (Blind 2008). Financial and social

Figure 1. Nanotechnology has uses in all areas of food science, including agriculture, food processing, security, packaging, nutrition,
and neutraceuticals.

Siegrist et al. 2007; Sozer and Kokini 2009; Öner et al.
2013).
Food protection
Interest in solid nourishment has expanded consider-
ably over the past years because of the development
of the world population and an expanded impression
of impoverished ways of life. Universally, by 2050,
the number of people aged greater than 65 years is
expected to reach around 1.5 billion, which would rep-
resent 16% of the world population, while in 1950,
this population represented just 5% (Haub 2011). As
the population ages, there will likely be an expanding
interest for products that have a conceivably construc-
tive outcome on well-being, past the necessary use-
ful nourishment for sustenance. There is currently a
wide scope of cholesterol-lowering food accessible in
business (for instance, benecol margarine spreads and
cream cheese), which included esterized fat and types
of phytosterols or stanols (plant concentrates) (Chen
et al. 2011). Omega-3 unsaturated fats, which occur
naturally in foods such as oily fish and some plant and
seed oils, are the most recent substances to be added to
food items, including margarine, milk, organic prod-
uct squeezes, and eggs, to make practical foods for
decreasing cardiovascular disease risk (Kaushik et al.
2015). Vitamin D and calcium are added to natu-
ral juice products to raise dietary vitamin D levels in
an objective population, for example, postmenopausal
women who are at risk for osteoporosis (Heaney and
Layman 2008; Wong et al. 2007). It is worth noting
that this supplementation can cause intestinal symp-
toms, for example, constipation, gas, and bloating are
normal in older individuals and can have a signifi-
cant effect on their satisfaction (Donini et al. 2009).
Expanding dietary fibre consumption alongside the
utilization of probiotic or prebiotic supplements or
useful nourishments has been proposed to enhance
digestive functions and well-being in older individu-
als (Fuchs et al. 1999; Meyer et al. 2000; Donini et al.
2009). Hence, there are solid reasons to dynamically
enhance nourishment items to yield these consumer
advantages.
One method that could help address this issue is
the advancement in exemplification of supplements
that are rich in vitamins and cancer prevention agents.
Epitomized supplements can be designed to sur-
vive the gastrointestinal framework and release their
FRONTIERS IN LIFE SCIENCE 65
payload at a specific point, thereby amplifying the ben-
eficial impact. Because of non-strong and semi-strong
nourishments, it is likewise crucial to diminish the
lattice size to permit their joining without influenc-
ing sustenance physical qualities (López-Rubio et al.
2012). More essentially, by diminishing the frame-
work size from the micrometre scale to the nanome-
tre scale, enhanced vehicles with very controllable
conveyance rate outputs should be produced (López-
Rubio et al. 2012; López-Rubio et al. 2009; Cook et al.
2012). Molecule size straightforwardly influences the
conveyance of any bioactive compound to different
destinations inside the body. In some cell lines, submi-
cron nanoparticles can be ingested proficiently yet not
larger small-scale particles (Champagne and Fustier
2007; de Vos et al. 2010; Ezhilarasi et al. 2013; Celli et al.
2015). Larger particles mostly discharge their exem-
plified mixes gradually and over longer periods, while
decreased molecule size presents a few biocement
change variables, including expanded glue power and
delayed gastrointestinal travel time, prompting higher
bioavailability of the embedded compound (Diarras-
souba et al. 2015; Yao et al. 2015).
Food packaging
Nanotechnology, if utilized correctly, may revolution-
ize the entire agriculture and food industry. Nanotech-
nology research on food shows a great amount of
potential to revamp the entire industry to be more
efficient and perform effectively. There are currently
some studies in progress about food packaging, includ-
ing investigations of better plastic-based packaging
and the development of packaging that offers excellent
preservation and other important characteristics over
regular packaging. This new advancement in nano-
based packaging may also offer superior freshness seal-
ing, and be able to notify consumers if the packaged
food has expired or gone rotten. The packaging may
even be able to regenerate from cuts and tears, and
also be capable of introducing additional preservatives
to prolong the shelf life of the food. Nano-based food
packaging will also be able to alter the taste and colour-
ing of its content, identify bacteria that may be inside,
and would be more resistant to cuts or tears in compar-
ison to other conventional alternatives. This new field
of research not only promises advancements inside the
food industry, but can also benefit all the industries
that are associated with it. However, due to the early
66 I.-M. CHUNG ET AL.
stage of the research, many organizations are still wary
of incorporating nanotechnology in their products.
When a food product is not consumed promptly
after production, it must be contained in a pack-
age that serves various capacities. Notwithstanding,
shielding the product from earth or dust, oxygen, light,
pathogenic microorganisms, dampness, and various
other dangerous or hurtful substances is necessary.
The packaging must additionally be sheltered under
its planned states of utilization, latent, easy to deliver,
lightweight, simple to discard or reuse, ready to with-
stand adverse conditions amid preparing or filling,
impenetrable to a large group of ecological stockpiling
and transport conditions, and impervious to physical
misuse. These are difficult requests for any material
to fulfil. A basic issue in sustenance bundling is that
of movement and penetrability (Lagaron et al. 1997;
Mercea 2000; Do and Cy 2004; Yam 2010; Robert-
son 2012), since no material is totally impermeable to
barometrical gasses, water vapour, or common sub-
stances contained inside the food being packaged or
even the packaging material itself. In a few applica-
tions, great obstructions to relocation or gas disper-
sion are undesirable, for example, in packaging for
fresh foods grown from the ground whose time span
of usability is reliant on access to a consistent sup-
ply of oxygen for supported cell respiration (Robert-
son 2012). A list of polymers used for packaging food
materials employed by the food-processing industries
that have been approved by the FDA is shown in
Table 2. Plastics used for carbonated refreshment hold-
ers must have high oxygen and carbon dioxide bound-
aries to avert oxidation and decarbonation of the drink
(Öner et al. 2013; Robertson 2012). In different items,
relocation of carbon dioxide is far less of an issue than
relocation of either oxygen or water vapour. Due to
these complexities, food items require refined and dis-
tinctive packaging capacities, and the requests on the
packaging business will only increase as food products
are transported over progressively more steps between
producers and consumers.
Food safety and nanotechnology
Foodborne sicknesses total $152 billion in well-being-
related costs every year in the US, especially for bac-
terial contaminations brought about by Salmonella,
Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campy-
lobacter spp (Scharff 2010, 2012; Hoffmann et al.
2012; Scallan et al. 2015). Other foodborne pathogens
include Campylobacter spp., Clostridium perfringens,
Cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora cayetanensis, E.
coli O157: H7, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli non-O157
(STEC non-O157), and L. monocytogenes. The yearly
disease cost of norovirus, nontyphoidal Salmonella
enterica, Shigella spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Vibrio vul-
nificus, V. parahaemolyticus, and other noncholera
Vibrio species and Yersinia enterocolitica has been
examined in the US (Hoffmann et al. 2012). The fresh-
ness of food items is preserved by utilizing packaging
that hosts a low-oxygen environment unsuitable for
microbial growth; therefore, the packaging utilized is
essentially immune from incursion of various gases.
Due to their large filler-matrix-friendly surface area,
nanocomposites are included in the polymer matrix.
Furthermore, a small, anti-gas barrier is formed by
the nanoreinforcements, effectively barring gas entry.
Both of these are identified as polymer nanocompos-
ites.
A key impediment of modern test conventions is
that the example vessel must be opened after the end
of the advancement period so that an administra-
tor can conduct the expository test. If a pathogen is
present in the initial sample, proliferation can result in
a pathogen concentration as high as 108 –109 CFU/mL,
so that opening the specimen vessel after incuba-
tion presents both the client and environment to a
danger of pollution. This risk of danger may pre-
vent numerous food product makers from conducting
pathogen testing on location. Numerous companies
instead send samples to external research facilities for
testing, bringing about extra cost and time delay. Any
edible material that contains nutrients is considered
food. When food is introduced to an organism, the
organs begin processing the nutrition and convert it
into energy, which is critical to the function of liv-
ing organisms. In most living organisms, the cells are
responsible for energy processing and production. The
healthier the food is, the more energy is produced
to maintain the metabolism of the body. The basic
secret of nanotechnology and the food industry is that
human cells and food products constituents, which are
of nanoscale and microscale, can easily interact with
nanoparticles at the cellular level; therefore, nanotech-
nology is included in all divisions of the food industry,
such as packaging, processing, safety, and security.
Nutritional supplements that utilize nanotech-
nology deliver drugs efficiently. Additionally, many

Table 2. Some representative synthetic polymer-based nanocomposites and their enhanced material properties, method of processing,
and level of incorporation.
Polymer
Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)
Poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL)
Low-density polyethy-
lene/linear low-density
polyethylene (LDPE/LLDPE)
Polyethylene (PE)
Polypropylene (PP)/ethylene-
propylene-diene rubber
(EPDM) blend
Maleated polyethylene
Ethylene-vinyl alcohol copoly-
mer (EVOH)/poly(lactic acid)
(PLA)
PP
LDPE/LLDPE
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
PVC/ethylene-vinyl acetate
copolymer (EVA)
poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate)
(EVA)
Unsaturated polyester (UP) and
vinyl ester oligomer (VEO)
Poly(methyl methacrylate)
(PMMA)
PP
Polyimide (PI)
PI
Polystyrene (PS)
PP
PI
High-density polyethylene
EVOH
commercial nutraceuticals are available. These supple-
ments interact most powerfully with cells and are eas-
ily acceptable. Even though nanotechnology has been
introduced in foods byproducers, it is yet to be recog-
nized by the consumers, due to the ethical issues and
FRONTIERS IN LIFE SCIENCE 67
Nanomaterial Method of processing Enhanced material properties
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) Solvent casting Tensile strength (TS) increased by up to
45%.
CNC Film casting evaporation technique Water vapour permeability (WVP)
Nanoclay Co-rotating twin screw extruding Elastic modulus (EM) of LDPE/LLDPE
Layered silicate Micro-extruding Crystallization temperature increased from
102°C to 111°C
Montmorillonite (MMT)-based Melt extrusion Adding 1.5 vol% organoclay increased
organoclay both O2 and CO2 barrier properties
Silicate Melt extrusion The stiffness of the film increased with the
addition of silicate filler
Clay Melt blending Barrier to oxygen enhanced with the
addition of clay
Silica Extruding TS and toughness increased with the
addition of nanosilica
MMT organoclay Twin extruder moreover, then film Oxygen permeability (OP) decreased by
blown 50% with the addition of organoclay
Organoclay Melt intercalation TS increased by adding 3phr nanoclay
OMMT Melt compounding Impact strength improved
Nanosilica Two-roll mixing TS, hardness, and abrasion resistance
increased by adding nanosilica
Organophilic MMT clay Casting TS of 10% VEO-toughened UP resin
increased. Flexural strength increased
by 19% and 41%, respectively, with
the addition of the same amounts of
organoclay
Layered silicate Injection moulding Tensile modulus increased by 35%
compared to neat PMMA.
Clay Twin screw extruder Oxygen transmission rate (OTR) reduced by
21.4% with 4% nanoclay.
Water vapour transmission rate (WVTR)
decreased by 28.1% with 2% nanoclay
Clay Casting A 3 wt% clay reduced gas permeability and
oxygen permeability to less than half
compared with neat PI
Clay (Na ion-exchanged Casting Highest TS of 101 MPa was observed
clays Naþ-saponite (SPT), at 0.5 wt% clay. The initial modulus
Naþ-mica (Mica), and increased from 2.62 to 3.45 GPa as
Naþ-MMT nanoclay content rose from 0 to 1.0 wt%
Organo-montmorillonite Melt processing with twin screw Tensile, flexural, and impact strengths
Cloisite 20A (C20A) extruding increased by 83%, 55%, and 74%,
respectively by adding 5% clay
Corn zein Solution intercalation method OP reduced by four times with nanocoating
of PP films. WVP reduced by 30% by
adding 5 wt. % OMMT
Clay (Cloisite 30B) Casting OP of the film with 10 wt. % clay decreased
by 95% (42 cc/m2 /day) compared with
neat PI film (768 cc/m2 /day)
Clay (MMT) Melt mixing OP decreased by 30% when 15% wt of clay
was added
Organically modified MMT Casting Oxygen and water vapour barrier
properties increased by 59% and 90%,
respectively with the addition of 3 wt%
clay
unawareness. The possible usage of nanotechnology
and its benefits in industry and customer health has
to be spread. Future nanotechnology research in the
food industry and its incorporation has the capability
to reinvent the food world.
68 I.-M. CHUNG ET AL.

Nanotechnology and food pathogen detection used to improve discovery affectability in sandwich
tests by expanding the mass change upon particu-
The most normally utilized quick techniques for
lar tying at the adjacent surface examined area. On
routine pathogen testing are catalyst-connected
the other hand, gold nanomaterials, notwithstand-
enzyme- linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) in a
ing the mass-change improvement, give an electronic
96-well-plate design. Despite the fact that some com-
coupling communication between characteristically
puterization has been accomplished recently, ELISAs
restricted SPR and the thin film surface plasmon, con-
remain present, drawn out, and extravagant, espe-
sequently further enhancing the general affectability of
cially when many objectives must be screened. Biosen-
the test (Kwon et al. 2012).
sors are a potential distinct option for ELISAs, and
A few further examinations, particularly for anti-
give likely a standout amongst the most promising
gen discovery, should be specified. Without a doubt,
approaches to take care of a few issues concerning
conceived as an atomic communication checking sys-
straightforward, quick, reproducible, and modest mul-
tem, SPR innovation was effectively used for basic
tianalyte determination.
portrayal, yielding valuable data crucial to allergen-
A biosensor is an incorporated receptor-transducer
hazard administration. Concurrent quantitative deter-
instrument that changes upon recognition of an
mination of five whey proteins in six specimens was
organic compound into a quantifiable physical sign,
performed by Billakanti et al. (2010) for different whey
which is externally visible. The receptor can be a coun-
and milk sources (Rouge et al. 2010) utilizing i-SPR
teracting agent raised against an antigen, a single-
innovation for the quick, quantitative location of vari-
stranded DNA atom equipped for hybridizing with an
ous food allergens. This method allowed for an active
antigen-particular DNA section, or an aptamer cho-
connection between satisfaction with life and satis-
sen to perceive the objective antigen directly. Due to
faction with food-related life. Satisfaction with life
their rapid execution, usability, and high level of robo-
and food-related life are connected with the inclina-
tization, biosensors have the potential for immedi-
tion for specific food products (Morales et al. 2011;
ate, continuous, on-line, monitoring of antigens along
Schnettler, Miranda, et al. 2011; Schnettler, Reyes, et al.
the creation chain. However, imperative difficulties
2011; Schnettler et al. 2012). Individuals with a pos-
remain (i.e. the reliance of the productivity of aller-
itive subjective prosperity in general and in the area
gen recognition on networks and preparing), both
of sustenance have different dietary patterns than the
from identifying a particular target and fundamentally
individuals who are unsatisfied with their life and
influencing any biosensor execution. Joining the selec-
their food-related life. The previous, by and large, is
tivity of science with the handling force of present-day
described as making the most of their sustenance.
microelectronics and optoelectronics, biosensors offer
One specific route in which nourishment can be relied
excellent expository potential with real applications in
upon to add to general prosperity is by sustenance-
food security, on account of focal points of recogniz-
prompted enthusiastic reactions, specifically negative
ing analytes in complex lattices with minimal sample
feelings such as neophobia and nausea (Raudenbush
treatment.
and Frank 1999; Siegrist et al. 2013; Olabi et al. 2015).
Generally, people are neophobic when they are
young and become more neophobic as they age. In
Surface plasmon resonance-based detection
any case, Pliner and Salvy (2006) and Paupério et al.
With high surface affectability, and constant and (2014) presented nourishment neophobia as an iden-
mark-free reaction, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) tity quality, a persisting piece of identity, something
has been broadly utilized in several transduction that is not anticipated to change after some time.
designs to portray biomolecular associations. SPR This theory must be managed in new examinations
permits us to screen using different procedures, of this issue with a longitudinal study format. The
that is, DNA hybridization, antibody–antigen typing, standards for food naming would need to consider
and DNA–protein communications (Homola 2008). data regarding the type of generation, plainly show-
Recently, nanomaterials were actualized in the natural ing whether the food was delivered with nanotechnol-
acknowledgment component to enhance the SPR-sign ogy. In the meantime, the strong powers of the South
change. Attractive nanoparticles, especially, have been Korean government (Ministry of Health, Service of
 FRONTIERS IN LIFE SCIENCE 69

Agriculture) would need to give buyers accurate and
robust data in regard to the dangers and events
connected with nanotechnologically created foods to
make the sale of these items straightforward.
Evaluating rising advancements like nanotechnol-
ogy is difficult because authentic information is not
accessible for effect appraisal, and a significant part
of the work is at a crucial examination stage with a
future guarantee of a scope of utilization. In such cir-
cumstances, bibliometrics and patent investigation can
be utilized to both survey status and patterns in inno-
vation advancement, and order and guide them to
relevant application zones for vital arranging.
The structure and databases were used to gauge the
current state of nanotechnology in advancement and
to evaluate these advancements regarding food secu-
rity. More than 60% of results from both the databases
were on R&D endeavours to improve plant/creature
profitability, followed by exploration in food handling
and packaging, which addresses the other two parts of
food security frameworks, specifically food accessibil-
ity and use.
and protection of agriculturally produced foods,
excluding crops for human consumption and ani-
mal feeding. Nanotechnology offers new agrochemi-
cal agents and new delivery mechanisms to improve
crop productivity, and it promises to reduce pesti-
cide use (Sekhon 2014). Nanotechnology can enhance
agricultural production, and its uses include nanofor-
mulations of agrochemicals for applying pesticides and
fertilizers for crop improvement. The use of nanosen-
sors/nanobiosensors in crop protection for the iden-
tification of diseases and agrochemical residues,
nanodevices for the genetic manipulation of plants,
plant disease diagnostics, animal health, animal breed-
ing, poultry production, and postharvest manage-
ment (Sekhon 2014). Nanotechnology usages involve
nanoparticle-mediated gene or DNA transfer in
plants for the development of insect-resistant plants,
nanofeed additives, food processing and storage, and
increased product shelf life. Nanotechnology promises
to accelerate the development of biomass-to-fuel pro-
duction technologies (Table 3).

Nanotechnology and food security

Nanotechnology in agri-food production
Nanotechnology is one of the most significant tools
in modern agriculture, and agri-food nanotechnol-
ogy is expected to soon become a driving economic
strength. Agri-food themes emphasize sustainability
The kind of drivers of the mechanical changes in dif-
ferent subfields of nanoresearch (like nanodevices or
nanobiotechnology), which may form a base for inno-
vative directions that can improve food security, was
likewise researched. It was found that nanoparticles is

Table 3. Comparisons between green revolution technologies and nanotechnology on their impacts and implications for food systems.
Features Green revolution technologies Nanotechnologies
Primary area of focus Productivity of mainly cereal crops like wheat, rice, Productivity and management of crops and
and maize livestock by crop and livestock improvement,
pest diagnosis and surveillance, food processing,
safety, and packaging
Secondary area of focus Nil Vaccines, pesticides, fertilizers, water, gene, drug,
remediation for natural resources, and other
input delivery formulation in plants and animals,
nanoarray-based gene expression in plants and
animals under stress conditions
Applications Crop input packages; improvement of plant Areas of gene/DNA delivery, expressions
architecture; genetic enhancement through sequencing, therapy, regulation: DNA targeting,
conservative breeding extraction, hybridization, fingerprints for DNA;
RNA detection, cell probes, cell sorting, and
bioimaging

Regulatory system Not warranted Developing but still not in practice in many places
Parties in technology development and Public sector Large- and small-scale industry, venture, capital
dissemination funds
Research skills required Plant breeding and other agricultural sciences New knowledge and skill set in addition to
conventional; new workforce to be created
Environment risks Evidence for several negative effects on natural Data still not available
resources
Public acceptance Whole world has accepted Preliminary protests by civil societies
70 I.-M. CHUNG ET AL.
the most broadly searched term, followed by nanofil-
tration routines/gadgets and nanocapsules. Defini-
tions such as cases and particles are known to not
target conveyance, offer better control, and build gen-
eral useful proficiency particularly for inputs such
as composts, pesticides (including biopesticides), and
enhancing the administration modes for improved
efficiency.
Nanotechnology and art have inspired each other.
In this context, public perceptions of nanotechnology
have emerged, evolved, and been studied by social
scientists. This discussion overviews the intertwin-
ing of nanotechnology and culture, and of some of
the public perceptions that may have been shaped by
this process. Nourishment/food security is an essen-
tial topic in India and has drawn prompt consid-
eration by the national organizers. Rural efficiency,
soil health, water assets, and nourishment bundling
and stockpiling are four key determinants of future
food security. Rising innovations such as nanotech-
nology can be targeted to these four essential deter-
minants to catalyse an examination and build a
flexible food security framework. The present pat-
terns in nanotechnology were evaluated for their
capability to improve food security, utilizing R&D
markers like writing and licenses mapped in an excep-
tionally planned structure. The survey demonstrates
that nanotechnology has a bigger canvas and more
unique potential to address food security when con-
trasted with green transformation advancements and
biotechnologies.
Conclusion
Nanotechnology can enhance food products, making
them more delicious, healthier, and more nutritious,
and can create new food items, new food packag-
ing, and storage methods. Then again, many of these
applications are currently at an initial stage, and most
are targeted towards high-value items, at least in the
short-term. Fruitful utilizations of nanotechnology to
food products are restricted. Nanotechnology can be
utilized to upgrade food flavour and surfaces, to stan-
dardize supplements such as vitamins to guarantee that
they do not degrade within an item’s time span of
usability.
Notwithstanding this, nanomaterials can be uti-
lized to make packaging that keeps the items inside
fresher for longer. Insightful food packaging utilizing
nanosensors could even furnish consumers with data
on the condition of the food inside. Food packag-
ing materials can be produced with nanoparticles
that alert buyers when an item is no longer safe
to eat. Sensors can caution before the food prod-
uct spoils or can tell us the precise nutritional status
contained in the substance. Nanotechnology is going
to change the whole packaging industry. Food nan-
otechnology advances present vital difficulties for both
government and industry. The food-preparing indus-
try must guarantee consumer certainty and acknowl-
edgment of nanofoods. Administrative bodies, for
example, the FDA, ought to create criteria to be fol-
lowed when assessing food security, food packag-
ing, and supplementation of nanomaterials with novel
properties.
Embedding bioactive mixes and probiotic micro-
scopic organisms inside prebiotic substances to ensure,
or even increase, their survival while passing the
upper gastrointestinal tract is a field of extraordinary
enthusiasm for both the scholarly world and food busi-
nesses. An example of this innovation involves packag-
ing bioactive mixes in micro- or nano-scaled particles
that disconnect them and control their discharge until
particular conditions arise. Electrospun nanofibres can
likewise be utilized as the conveyance framework in
food supplements to secure them amid handling and
storage, or in conveyance frameworks for exchanging
the segments to a distant site in the body. The impact
of this charge on the grip to the fibre of food com-
ponents, for example, proteins, has not been broadly
researched, but rather, is liable to be of critical uti-
lization in developing products such as nutraceuticals
conveyance frameworks.
Finally, many sustenance-grade polymer frame-
works (e.g. natural sustenance hydrocolloids) are dif-
ficult to create with electrospinning because of their
poor viscoelastic conduct, absence of adequate atomic
ensnarement, and constrained dissolvability. Gener-
ally, because just several handling parameters can
be controlled straightforwardly as a portion of the
included parameters are either exceptionally associ-
ated or obtained from the properties of the utilized
polymer arrangement. Modern created electrospun
nanofibres achieve a dimensional spread of the request
of 10 rate focuses or worse among ostensibly identical
specimens. Along these lines, a principle test related
with the large-scale manufacturing of nanofibre fabrics
is the execution of systems permitting improvements

in the procedure and item reproducibility and to
develop classes of utilizable materials.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was supported by KU-Research Professor Program
of Konkuk University. This work was supported by a grant
from the Next-Generation BioGreen21 Program (Center for
Nutraceutical & Pharmaceutical Materials no. PJ01180902),
Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.
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