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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Environmental Microbial & Food Safety Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #334396
Research Project: Characterization and Mitigation of Bacterial Pathogens in the Fresh Produce Production and Processing Continuum

Location: Environmental Microbial & Food Safety Laboratory

Title: Nanotechnology applications to improve food safety

Author
item ZHANG, BOCE - OAK RIDGE INSTITUTE FOR SCIENCE AND EDUCATION (ORISE)
item LUO, YAGUANG - U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)
item CHEN, HONGDA - U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)

Submitted to: Food Safety in China: Technology, Management and Regulation
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/16/2016
Publication Date: 3/17/2017
Citation: Zhang, B., Luo, Y., Chen, H. 2017. Nanotechnology applications to improve food safety. Food Safety in China: Technology, Management and Regulation. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119238102.ch36.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119238102.ch36

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nanoscience is an emerging frontier science, and research in nanotechnology has skyrocketed over the past decade. Nanomaterial engineering renders capability to precisely fabricate material with superior functionalities, which leads to many novel solutions and applications to address technical and societal challenges. In 2008, over $15 billion was invested to promote nanotechnology research, and more than 400,000 researchers were employed globally. The nanotechnology market is forecasted to generate at least $3 trillion by 2020, and the industries could support at least 6 million workers by the end of the decade. Research scholars and industrial stakeholders have all envisioned the convergence of nanotechnology with food science and agriculture as revolutionary advances in the next 5-10 years. This chapter explores recent advances in food safety related applications of nanotechnology, including nanosensors developed for pathogen and hazard detection, nanoscale antimicrobial delivery systems, and engineered nanomaterial coating on food contact surfaces to enhance the safety and shelf life of food products.