Types of nanomaterials in food packaging: a review

Abstract

The advent of nanotechnology has provided remarkable methods for fabricating advanced materials. As such, packaging nanocomposite as one of the research hotspots in the nano-sized science, tends to extend shelf life of fresh food items. Active and intelligent packaging are two great achievements of nanotechnology, in which organic and inorganic nanoparticles have showed great effects on the packaging matrix. In particular, nanosensor as an emerging technology can convert data from food items into intelligible signals to communicate with consumers. The objectives of this study are aligned with investigation of various nanostructures commonly used in the packaging industry, and providing an overview of their effects on the packaging performance. This review also elaborates human and environmental safety concerns regarding the application of nanoparticles, and identifies the legislation that has been recently launched.