Considerations for Nanosciences in Food Science and Nutrition: “Enhanced Food Properties”

The agro-food industries are one of the biggest manufacturing sectors worldwide with a turnover of US$4 trillion per year. Within the last decades, nanoscience has opened-up fantastic ways to challenge new sub-universes for exploring the interactions between physical, chemical and biological systems as well as agro-food and nutrition sectors. Among these potentials, there is the enhancement of food properties and constituents such as nanoparticulate delivery systems, food safety and food biosecurity. In the recent years, many patents were launched for edible coating agents, essential oils and emulsifiers, including agrochemical active ingredients, nanomaterials for agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, and smart packaging materials. The aim of this review was to search for the recent applications of nanoscience in the agro-food science and nutrition area, including the launched patents in this field.