Nano-engineered Sensors for Food Processing

Abstract

Food safety today is a major concern for both food processing industries and consumers in general. One of the challenges facing this industry is timely and cost-effective methods or technologies for easy identification of contaminated packaged foods. Over the years, constant efforts have been increasingly utilized to ensure better and improved packaging of processed foods. Nanotechnology is fast becoming a veritable option for ensuring that processed food packaging maintains its variety of functions and that quality is well preserved. Smart and/or active packaging of products that are nano-engineered with sensors has been increasingly used to overcome these challenges. These packaging technologies ensure that there is minimal food waste, enabling food quality checks, providing timely information about the status of packaged foods, improving overall food safety and increasing the shelf life of foods through the use of nanoparticle-based biosensors that are highly sensitive.