Nanotechnology promises big benefits for food safety, quality,
and shelf life provided the challenges it brings can be
overcome, delegates were told at the Institute of Food
Technology's annual conference at Anaheim, California. "There's
great potential for nanoscience in food industry applications,"
said Bernadene Magnuson, senior scientific and regulatory
consultant in food toxicology with Cantox Health Sciences
International, Ontario, Canada. The technology, which harnesses
the use of particles between one and 100 nanometers in length,
could be used to provide anti-microbial coatings for food
contact surfaces or packaging. Other applications include using
nanoscience to engineer sensors to detect pathogens and toxins
in food or to register environmental changes. For example,
nanochips in smart inks used for food packaging could register
warnings if the temperature of the package rose above certain
programmed limits. But unlocking nanoscience's vast potential
depends on overcoming five significant challenge