Emerging nano applications in food packaging
Posted March 21, 2007
Nanotechnology, defined as technology involving structures with one or more dimension between 1 and 100 nanometers, is predicted to transform the food industry. One of the most promising benefits of nanotechnology is in food packaging technology. Nanotechnology enables the alteration of the structure of packaging materials on a molecular scale, giving the materials desired properties. A 2005 market study developed by Helmut Kaiser Consultancy states that nanotechnology has significantly increased its impact on the food and beverage packaging industry over the past few years. According to the report, nano-related food and beverage packaging products sales increased from $250 million in 2002 to $860 million in 2004, worldwide. Nanotechnology is predicted to change the entire fabrication of the food packaging industry over the next decade. Traditional packaging is said to be replaced with multi-functional “smart” packaging that will provide consumers with fresher, more customized products.
Packaging benefits
Professors Sue Selke and John Stone were among a group of experts who recently addressed the topic, “What is Agrifood Technology?” at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in San Francisco. Their presentation outlined the packaging benefits of nanotechnology, included a longer shelf life as well as improved temperature performance and functionality. “It’s not just food,” said Stone, an applied anthropologist at the Institute for Food and Agricultural Standards at Michigan State University, in a recent MSU new release. “Everything from food processing equipment to packaging and distribution systems are being affected by nanotechnology. Applications are found throughout the supply chain.” Selke cited the shiny, nano- layer of aluminum that often coats the interior of snack food packages as an example of the import role nanotechnology plays in packaging: “This aluminum layer is much thinner than a piece of tissue paper and is an effective and economically beneficial way for keeping oxygen from getting in and keeping moisture out.”
Nanotechnology in action
RipeSense, the world’s first ripeness indicator label, was recently developed in New Zealand. The intelligent ripeness indicator responds to the aroma released as fruit ripens, giving consumers a better way to determine the shelf life of the fruit before they take it home. “Nanotech packaging solutions have the potential to prevent foods from degrading, eliminate pathogens from products, allow products to be tracked, and even indicate when foods have reached the end of their shelf life,” said Andrew D. Maynard, chief science advisor for the project on emerging nanotechnologies at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. These solutions will benefit both consumers and industry, said Maynard. “However, some care is needed to ensure that the benefits do not come with unanticipated downsides. Many nanotech food packaging solutions rely on nanometer-sized particles incorporated into the packaging or storage material. These particles may behave in unexpected ways if people are exposed to them or they are released into the environment. For example, silver nanoparticles used as antimicrobial agents in food containers might be released into the environment, where they can affect microbes in delicate ecosystems. While there are many exciting and potentially positive uses for nanotechnology in food packaging, further strategic research is needed to understand where unusual and unanticipated behavior of engineered nanomaterials might lead to unintended consequences.