Thanks to the authors for their contribution.
13 April 2021 | Dr. Jyotishkumar Parameswaranpillai (Thailand) | ||
Dr. Radhakrishnan Edayileveettil Krishnankutty (India) | |||
Dr. Aswathy Jayakumar (India) | |||
Dr. Sanjay Mavinkere Rangappa (Thailand) | |||
Prof. Dr. -Ing. habil. Suchart Siengchin (Thailand) |
1 Introduction to Nanotechnology-Enhanced Food Packaging Industry
Kunal Singha1, Baburaj Regubalan2, Pintu Pandit1, Subhankar Maity3, and Shakeel Ahmed4
1National Institute of Fashion Technology, Department of Textile Design, Mithapur Farms, Patna 800001, India
2Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Department of Food Processing Technology, Krishnankoil, Tamilnadu 626128, India
3Uttar Pradesh Textile Technology Institute, Department of Textile Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208001, India
4Government Degree College Mendhar, Department of Chemistry, Mendhar, Jammu and Kashmir 185211, India
1.1 Introduction
Today creating biodegradable and natural materials based on biodegradable food packaging materials is a major global challenge for the environment. However, the use of bio-based packaging products such as food grade or biodegradable films from recycled sources could address the problem of waste in at least some way. The correct choice of products and packaging technology thus enables consistency and freshness of products to be maintained over the time required to be promoted and used. Even though, the availability of bio-based food packaging is limited in the market due to its low gas barrier and mechanical properties. As a result, these natural polymers were frequently mixed or chemically modified with other synthetic polymers to expand their packaging applications. Bio-based packaging has many essential features, including traditional packaging, such as the preservation and securing of products, ensuring nutritional integrity and health, and providing awareness to the consumers. Another nanotechnology that may help to minimize waste from the processing of packaged food is the use of nanocomposites in the processing. The use of nanocomposites that seek to facilitate the use of biologically degradable films protects fresh food and enhances the durability of it.
Nanotechnology involves the manufacturing, manipulating, and characterizing of nanosized objects, particles, and materials with a dimension of approximately 1–100 nm. Although the size of the material is reduced to the nanoscale range, its physical and chemical properties are magnified greatly from those of the macroscale structures made of the same material. Consequently, the nanoscale (1–100 nm) systems may have some implications, but successful implementations of the same for serving mankind are invaluable. Nanotechnology provides a range of significant improvements to enhance health, stability, and quality of life and to create assertive impacts on the environment [1, 2].
The packaging systems are protective shields that secure, manage, transports, store, retains, and marks any entity in the supply chain from raw materials to end users. These functions are required to accurately define any type of packaging, and how a variety of requirements, such as mechanical, thermal, and barrier characteristics, are preserved depending on the type of products to be packaged. Nanomaterials are gradually being used in the food packaging industry; therefore a variety of advanced nanomaterial technology is being researched and developed for packaging materials. There have been studies of approximately 500 nano-packaging materials for industrial use, while nanotechnology is expected to manufacture 25% of all food packings. Nano-packaging can also conceive antimicrobials, minerals, enzymes, flavors, and nutraceuticals to enhance shelf life and performance. In this line, antimicrobial films are used as packaging material to improve the shelf life of perishable foods like fruits and dairy products [3–6].
Nanotechnology's potential role in the food technology sector is probably the most exciting in the immediate future, and it is emerging as one of the fastest developing areas of nano-research of agriculture and food. New developments in food processing, labeling, nutraceutical delivery, quality assurance, and healthy food have also been seen. Many organizations, scientists, inventors, and industries are developing new technologies, protocols, and products, which directly apply nanotechnology to farming and food products.