Globally, food safety and security are receiving a lot of attention to ensure a steady supply of nutrient-rich and safe food. Nanotechnology is used in a wide range of technical processes, including the development of new materials and the enhancement of food safety and security. Nanomaterials are used to improve the protective effects of food and help detect microbial contamination, hazardous chemicals, and pesticides. Nanosensors are used to detect pathogens and allergens in food. Food processing is enhanced further by nanocapsulation, which allows for the delivery of bioactive compounds, increases food bioavailability, and extends food shelf life. Various forms of nanomaterials have been developed to improve food safety and enhance agricultural productivity, including nanometals, nanorods, nanofilms, nanotubes, nanofibers, nanolayers, and nanosheets. Such materials are used for developing nanofertilizers, nanopesticides, and nanomaterials to induce plant growth, genome modification, and transgene expression in plants. Nanomaterials have antimicrobial properties, promote plants’ innate immunity, and act as delivery agents for active ingredients. Nanocomposites offer good acid-resistance capabilities, effective recyclability, significant thermostability, and enhanced storage stability. Nanomaterials have been extensively used for the targeted delivery and release of genes and proteins into plant cells. In this review article, we discuss the role of nanotechnology in food safety and security. Furthermore, we include a partial literature survey on the use of nanotechnology in food packaging, food safety, food preservation using smart nanocarriers, the detection of food-borne pathogens and allergens using nanosensors, and crop growth and yield improvement; however, extensive research on nanotechnology is warranted.

More from our Archive

• DOI: 10.3390/foods12142704 2023

  Climate Change—A Global Threat Resulting in Increasing Mycotoxin Occurrence

  Jovana Kos, Mislav Anić, Bojana Radić, Manuela Zadravec, Elizabet Janić Hajnal, Jelka Pleadin

• DOI: 10.3390/plants12132565 2023

  Nanotechnology in Food and Plant Science: Challenges and Future Prospects

  Mohammad Azam Ansari

• DOI: 10.3390/plants12132519 2023

  Synergistic Effects of Rhizobacteria and Salicylic Acid on Maize Salt-Stress Tolerance

  Qasim Ali, Maqshoof Ahmad, Muhammad Kamran, Sana Ashraf, Muhammad Shabaan, Babar Hussain Babar, Usman Zulfiqar, Fasih Ullah Haider, M. Ajmal Ali, Mohamed S Elshikh

• DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14112 2023

  MdNAC104 positively regulates apple cold tolerance via CBF‐dependent and CBF‐independent pathways

  Chuang Mei, Jie Yang, Quanlin Mei, Dongfeng Jia, Peng Yan, Beibei Feng, Aisajan Mamat, Xiaoqing Gong, Qingmei Guan, Ke Mao, Jixun Wang, Fengwang Ma

• DOI: 10.3390/plants12132469 2023

  Developing Sustainable Agriculture Systems in Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Production by Using Chitosan and Chitin-Based Biostimulants

  Wenli Sun, Mohamad Hesam Shahrajabian, Spyridon A. Petropoulos, Nazanin Shahrajabian

• DOI: 10.1111/nph.19100 2023

  Alternative splicing of <scp><i>TaHSFA6e</i></scp> modulates heat shock protein–mediated translational regulation in response to heat stress in wheat

  Jingjing Wen, Zhen Qin, Lv Sun, Yumei Zhang, Dongli Wang, Huiru Peng, Yingyin Yao, Zhaorong Hu, Zhongfu Ni, Qixin Sun, Mingming Xin

• DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae9070757 2023

  Mapping of the Susceptibility of Colombian Musaceae Lands to a Deadly Disease: Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4

  Gustavo Rodríguez-Yzquierdo, Barlin O. Olivares, Oscar Silva-Escobar, Antonio González-Ulloa, Mauricio Soto-Suarez, Mónica Betancourt-Vásquez

• DOI: 10.3390/fermentation9070619 2023

  Automatic Control of Chemolithotrophic Cultivation of Cupriavidus necator: Optimization of Oxygen Supply for Enhanced Bioplastic Production

  Vera Lambauer, Alexander Permann, Zdeněk Petrášek, Vanja Subotić, Christoph Hochenauer, Regina Kratzer, Markus Reichhartinger

• DOI: 10.3390/foods12132529 2023

  Potential Beneficial Effects and Pharmacological Properties of Ergosterol, a Common Bioactive Compound in Edible Mushrooms

  Panthakarn Rangsinth, Rajasekharan Sharika, Nattaporn Pattarachotanant, Chatrawee Duangjan, Chamaiphron Wongwan, Chanin Sillapachaiyaporn, Sunita Nilkhet, Nichaporn Wongsirojkul, Anchalee Prasansuklab, Tewin Tencomnao, George Pak-Heng Leung, Siriporn Chuchawankul

• DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad036 2023

  Vascular variants in seed plants—a developmental perspective

  Israel L Cunha Neto