Nanomaterials with Plant or Animal Origin for Greener Biodelivery and Biosensor Applications: A Review

Nanomaterials are now used in almost every field of science; as conductors and electrodes in electronics, as nanodelivery systems in health screenings and drug delivery, as nanofibrils in filtering and textile industry, as nanoparticles in biosensor fabrication for toxin and pathogen detection, and in packaging materials in the food industry. Synthetic materials and plastics accumulate in the environment causing increasing health concerns for their use in food and pharmaceutical products. Therefore, researchers now try to find new greener fabrication methods for nanomaterials. In this review, some of the most recent studies were summarized and discussed where novel green nanomaterials were synthesized from plant or animal-based polymers. The focus has been given on the synthesis of 1) nanodelivery systems for bioactive and drug delivery in the form of nanoparticles, nanotubes and nanofibers, 2) nanophotonic film or nanofiber-based biosensors for food toxin and pathogen detection, and 3) functional nanocomposite films. The studies summarized here give the reader a clear understanding of the science behind creating green nanomaterial-based systems and how they are used in various applications.