Nanomaterials for Food Applications

Nanomaterials for Food Applications

Micro and Nano Technologies
2019, Pages 355-380
Nanomaterials for Food Applications

Chapter 12 - Toxicological Hazard Analysis of Nanomaterials With Potential for Utilization in Consumer Goods

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814130-4.00012-9Get rights and content

Abstract

The field of nanotechnology promises a plethora of advantageous features for various consumer applications. These include lighter and more durable sporting equipment, antimicrobial textile and clothing, increased sensitivity and efficacy within a wide range of medical applications, or utilization in packaging or additives in the food sector. The manipulation of materials at the nanoscale is considered as a new industrial revolution. Many of the proposed advantageous aspects associated with nanotechnology incorporate a risk of exposure to hazardous nanoparticles. However, to date there is no clear indication as to how nano-sized materials may interact with biological systems either acutely, or over a longer period of time. In this chapter, a historical overview of nanomaterial (NM) toxicology is provided, followed by a selected concise summary of the current understanding of the field toward the human health impacts of NM exposure. Finally, following a summary of these aspects, an outlook section highlights the direction in which the field is headed, as well as important considerations for future research within this discipline of nanotoxicology.

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    Many studies have been performed on specific interactions of NPs with particular modifications based on ligand-receptor pairing [10–13]. On the other hand, our knowledge on the environmental NPs are very limited, and most of concerns on nanotoxicity come from the unknown or “unmodified” NPs non-specifically landing onto the cell surface [4]. Importantly, the unmodified NPs would acquire biomolecules to form protein corona in the biological environment before reaching the cell and, if their size is appropriate (usually in a range of 50–100 nm), can subsequently enter the cells mediated by membrane receptors, leading to potential cytotoxicity [14–18].

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