Nanoencapsulation for Agri-Food Applications and Associated Health and Environmental Concerns.

Abstract

Food safety and security are vital to guarantee a sustainable and reliable energy source for human. There is a recent trend of nano-encapsulating bioactive compounds from both plant and animal sources and their utilization for various food applications (1). Nanoencapsulation has gained special attention because of its unique feature for efficient encapsulation, enhanced stability, and better controlled release of encapsulated materials (2, 3). Nanoencapsulation is also applied for food packaging system with the use of biodegradable polymers reinforced with nanofillers as a sustainable and environmentally friendly option (4). However, the incorporation of compounds into the food packaging system at nanoscale (particle size between 1 and 100 nm) has raised concerns on their migration and release into food matrices and the health effects lying with the consumption of such foodstuffs. Hence, it becomes paramount to study the migration behavior into food matrices and associated toxicity after entering the human body as well as the biodegradability/toxicity and its role in the environment. Several concerns on the use of nanoparticles (NPs), their release kinetics, absorption behavior in the body, degradation kinetics and their long-term effects are uncertain and unexplored, therefore, in-depth research is required on these aspects to understand the broader figure of the story. Hence, we strongly recommend exploring these aspects to reveal and disseminate the underlying safety concerns associated with the use of nano-encapsulated particles and to avoid any unfortunate and unprecedented outcomes in the future.