Abstract
Agricultural food crop plants interact with engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) from the application of agri-food nanotechnologies and from unintentional emissions originating from other nanotechnologies. Both types of exposure present implications for agricultural yield and quality, food chain transfer, and environmental and human health. In this review, the most recent findings from agricultural plant-ENM studies published in 2017 and 2018 are summarized. The aim of this is to identify the current hazard potential of ENMs for plants grown under typical field conditions that originate from both intentional and unintentional exposures and to contribute to knowledge-based decisions on the application of ENMs in food-agriculture. We also address recent knowledge on ENM adsorption, internalization, translocation, and bioaccumulation by plants, ENM impacts on agricultural crop yield and nutrition, and ENM biotransformation. Using adverse effect level concentrations and data on ENM accumulation in environmental matrices, the literature analyses revealed that C-, Ag-, Ce-, and Ti-based ENMs are unlikely to pose a risk to plants grown under typical field conditions, whereas Cu- and Zn-based ENMs require surveillance. Since multiple factors (e.g., ENM concentration, route of exposure, and plant type) influence the effects of ENMs on plants, biomonitoring is recommended for tracking ENM environmental exposure in the future.
Highlights
The 25th meeting of the Working Group for the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds (WG-SNFF) in June 2018 recognized that the potential risks and benefits of nanotechnology-based products are examined on a case-by-case approach, as it is still a new field of application and research
Through a review of the recent literature, we have shown that agricultural plants do not currently face a high hazard potential from engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) during crop cultivation
Many of the most frequently investigated ENMS (C, Ce, Ti, and Ag-based) are present in environmental media at concentrations that are unlikely to pose a significant threat to agricultural plant safety, while Cu- and Zn-based ENMs may have the potential to exert adverse effects, depending on the mode of exposure and soil characteristics, respectively
Summary
The 25th meeting of the Working Group for the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds (WG-SNFF) in June 2018 recognized that the potential risks and benefits of nanotechnology-based products are examined on a case-by-case approach, as it is still a new field of application and research. The aim of the present review is to integrate the applications and hazards of NMs to plants and critically address the safe use of NMs in the agri-food sector. The unintentional emission of NMs due to increasing incorporation into consumer products has raised questions over the short- and long-term effects they may have on plants, i.e., food crop productivity, trophic transfer, and, environmental and human health [4]. We review recent scientific data on the application of ENMs in agriculture and data on the adverse effects of ENMs on plants in cases of unintentional exposures for some selected ENMs (C-, Ag-, Ce-, Ti-, and Zn-based ENMs). We address the question of whether the application of ENMs in the agri-food sector is justified from a nanosafety perspective and whether plants face a high hazard potential from ENMs during normal crop cultivation. Our primary aim is to support decision making for the application of ENMs to agricultural plants, including the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds, which may include ENMs
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
