Application of Nanotechnology in Food: A Comprehensive Review on Processing, Preservation, Packaging, and Safety Assessment

Nanotechnology is an emerging framework that complies with new and more sophisticated applications in food systems rather than other technology, even though it is widely used in agriculture, medicine, biochemistry, and many other fields. It serves as a potential approach for introducing novel and innovative technology into a variety of food processing, manufacturing, development, production, fabrication, packaging, storage, and distribution processes, among others. Nanoparticles deal with various forms of nanostructured materials and nano techniques including nanofood, nanocomposites, nanotubes, nano packaging, nanosensors, nanocapsules, liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, nanoencapsulation, and numerous other things that are the most fundamental advanced technology in nano-based food science. To extend the shelf-life of food, improve solubility, bioactive compound availability, shield the food constituents, fortification, nutrient supplementation, food or constituents’ delivery, novel, and innovative food packaging as an antimicrobial activity with cell-damaging, protein denaturation, and DNA damaging of bacteria by releasing ROS (reactive oxygen species), and among other usages are implemented by application of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is an advancement in food application; however, it has some harmful or hazardous impacts on health due to toxicity and risks associated with nanoparticles in foodstuffs. In this review, the application of nanotechnology in the food sector, particularly processing, preservation, and packaging with its lucrative prospects was discussed, the toxicity of nanoparticles in food as well as the development of it in food safety assessments with certain aspects of concerns was also explored that are challenging and most significant for future research.