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Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Food: Applicability, Functionality, and Safety

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (18 August 2023) | Viewed by 22566

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Dr. Wenxin Zhu

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Guest Editor

College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
Interests: nanomaterials and nanotechnology in food; Electrochemical technology in food
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Xiaoyue Yue

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Guest Editor

College of Food and Biological Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Interests: nanomaterials and nanotechnology in food; electrochemical, colorimetric, and fluorescent detection technology in food

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food safety and food nutrition are two main research hotspots in food science regarding human health and have currently become global public health concerns. On one hand, contaminants in food such as foodborne pathogenic microorganisms, pesticides, veterinary drug residues, toxins and illegal additives that are produced during food processing and preservation threaten human health. Developing advanced techniques for the reliable detection and control of these food contaminants is, thus, very important for food safety. On the other hand, the demand for food is no longer simply to satisfy hunger, but to be palatable and nutritious with specific functions. Combining flavor substances or active functional ingredients with foods through advanced delivery systems to control their release at specific locations in the human digestive tract is of great importance for food nutrition and health.

Applying nanomaterials and nanotechnology in food science and engineering has received increasing attention. Some typical applications include nanocatalysts-based electrochemical/colorimetric/fluorescent sensing platforms, nanocatalysts-based advanced oxidation processes, nanomaterials-embedded packaging films, nanomaterials-based active ingredient delivery platforms, nanozymes-based sensing platforms and sanitizers, nanomaterials for food sample pretreatment, and other novel electro/photo-catalysis techniques in food science. Here, we cordially invite authors to contribute original research articles or review articles covering the most recent progress in the application of nanomaterials and nanotechnology in food.

Dr. Wenxin Zhu
Dr. Xiaoyue Yue
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

nanomaterials
nanotechnology
nanocatalysis
foods

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4141 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Post-Harvest Application of Nanoparticles of Titanium Dioxide (NPs-TiO₂) and Ethylene to Improve the Coloration of Detached Apple Fruit

by Yongxu Wang, Guolin Chen, Daru Wang, Jing Zhang, Chunxiang You, Xiaofei Wang and Huaifeng Liu

Foods 2023, 12(16), 3137; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12163137 - 21 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1570

Abstract

In this study, we analyzed the effects of treatments with titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NPs-TiO₂) and ethylene on anthocyanin biosynthesis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism during light exposure in ripe ‘red delicious’ apples. Both treatments led to improved anthocyanins biosynthesis in detached mature apples, while the NPs-TiO₂ had less impact on the fruit firmness, TSS, TA, and TSS/TA ratio. Furthermore, the effects of both treatments on the expression of anthocyanin-related enzymes and transcription factors in the apple peel were evaluated at the gene level. The differentially expressed genes induced by the two treatments were highly enriched in the photosynthesis and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways. The expression of structural genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis and ethylene biosynthesis was more significantly upregulated in the ethylene treatment group than in the NPs-TiO₂ treatment group, and the opposite pattern was observed for the expression of genes encoding transcription factors involved in plant photomorphogenesis pathways. In addition, the ROS levels and antioxidant capacity were higher and the membrane lipid peroxidation level was lower in fruit in the NPs-TiO₂ treatment group than in the ethylene treatment group. The results of this study reveal differences in the coloration mechanisms induced by NPs-TiO₂ and ethylene in apples, providing new insights into improving the color and quality of fruits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Food: Applicability, Functionality, and Safety)

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14 pages, 4203 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Dual-Signaling Electrochemical Aptasensor Based on an In-Plane Gold Nanoparticles–Black Phosphorus Heterostructure for the Sensitive Detection of Patulin

by Jinqiong Xu, Jianbo Liu, Wuwu Li, Yongsheng Wei, Qinglin Sheng and Yonghui Shang

Foods 2023, 12(4), 846; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040846 - 16 Feb 2023

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2097

Abstract

Patulin (PAT), a type of mycotoxin existing in foodstuffs, is harmful to food safety and human health. Thus, it is necessary to develop sensitive, selective and reliable analytical methods for PAT detection. In this study, a sensitive aptasensor based on a dual-signaling strategy was fabricated, in which a methylene-blue-labeled aptamer and ferrocene monocarboxylic acid in the electrolyte acted as a dual signal, for monitoring PAT. To improve the sensitivity of the aptasensor, an in-plane gold nanoparticles–black phosphorus heterostructure (AuNPs-BPNS) was synthesized for signal amplification. Due to the combination of AuNPs-BPNS nanocomposites and the dual-signaling strategy, the proposed aptasensor has a good analytical performance for PAT detection with the broad linear range of 0.1 nM–100.0 μM and the low detection limit of 0.043 nM. Moreover, the aptasensor was successfully employed for real sample detection, such as apple, pear and tomato. It is expected that BPNS-based nanomaterials hold great promise for developing novel aptasensors and may provide a sensing platform for food safety monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Food: Applicability, Functionality, and Safety)

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14 pages, 5816 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Au Nanoparticles Functionalized Covalent-Organic-Framework-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Sensitive Detection of Ractopamine

by Shuying Yang, Ruixi Yang, Jingyi He, Yu Zhang, Yahong Yuan, Tianli Yue and Qinglin Sheng

Foods 2023, 12(4), 842; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040842 - 16 Feb 2023

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2254

Abstract

Ractopamine, as a feed additive, has attracted much attention due to its excessive use, leading to the damage of the human nervous system and physiological function. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to establish a rapid and effective method for the detection of ractopamine in food. Electrochemical sensors served as a promising technique for efficiently sensing food contaminants due to their low cost, sensitive response and simple operation. In this study, an electrochemical sensor for ractopamine detection based on Au nanoparticles functionalized covalent organic frameworks (AuNPs@COFs) was constructed. The AuNPs@COF nanocomposite was synthesized by in situ reduction and was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope and electrochemical methods. The electrochemical sensing performance of AuNPs@COF-modified glassy carbon electrode for ractopamine was investigated using the electrochemical method. The proposed sensor exhibited excellent sensing abilities towards ractopamine and was used for the detection of ractopamine in meat samples. The results showed that this method has high sensitivity and good reliability for the detection of ractopamine. The linear range was 1.2–1600 μmol/L, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.12 μmol/L. It is expected that the proposed AuNPs@COF nanocomposites hold great promise for food safety sensing and should be extended for application in other related fields. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Food: Applicability, Functionality, and Safety)

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17 pages, 3219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cultivation Factors That Affect Amyloid-β Aggregation Inhibitory Activity in Perilla frutescens var. crispa

by Keiya Shimamori, Tomohiko Nambu, Daiki Kawamata, Masahiro Kuragano, Naoki Nishishita, Toshifumi Iimori, Shinya Yamanaka, Koji Uwai and Kiyotaka Tokuraku

Foods 2023, 12(3), 486; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12030486 - 20 Jan 2023

Viewed by 2547

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is thought to be caused by the deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain. Aβ begins to aggregate approximately 20 years before the expression of its symptoms. Previously, we developed a microliter-scale high-throughput screening (MSHTS) system for inhibitors against Aβ aggregation using quantum dot nanoprobes. Using this system, we also found that plants in the Lamiaceae, particularly Perilla frutescens var. crispa, have high activity. The cultivation environment has the potential to enhance Aβ aggregation inhibitory activity in plants by changing their metabolism. Here, we report on cultivation factors that affected the activity of P. frutescens var. crispa cultivated in three fields under different cultivation conditions. The results revealed that the activity of P. frutescens var. crispa harvested just before flowering was highest. Interestingly, the activity of wind-shielded plants that were cultivated to prevent exposure to wind, was reduced to 1/5th of plants just before flowering. Furthermore, activity just before flowering increased following appropriate nitrogen fertilization and at least one week of drying from the day before harvest. In addition, we confirmed that the P. frutescens var. crispa leaf extracts suppressed Aβ-induced toxicity in nerve growth factor-differentiated PC12 cells. In this study, we demonstrated that flowering, wind, soil water content, and soil nitrogen content affected Aβ aggregation inhibitory activity, necessary to suppress Aβ neurotoxicity, in P. frutescens var. crispa extracts. This study provides practical cultivation methods for P. frutescens var. crispa with high Aβ aggregation inhibitory activity for the prevention of AD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Food: Applicability, Functionality, and Safety)

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14 pages, 2361 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Modified QuEChERS Method Based on Magnetic Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as a Clean-Up Adsorbent for the Analysis of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines in Braised Sauce Beef

by Min Li, Pengxiang Wang, Xu Zhang, Hongyu Wang, Ke Li and Yanhong Bai

Foods 2023, 12(1), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010138 - 27 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2176

Abstract

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) generated during the cooking of meats cause adverse effects on human health. The purpose of the current research was to develop a modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, Safe) method using magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Fe₃O₄-MWCNTs) as clean-up adsorbents for the rapid determination of HAAs in braised sauce beef. The significant parameters in extraction and clean-up processes were screened and optimized. Under optimal conditions, the LODs ranged from 3.0 ng/g to 4.2 ng/g. The recoveries (78.5–103.2%) and relative standard deviations RSDs (<4.6%) of five HAAs were obtained. These are in accordance with the validation criteria (recovery in the range of 70–120% with RSD less than 20%). Compared with conventional clean-up adsorbents (PSA or C18), Fe₃O₄-MWCNTs displayed equivalent or better matrix removal efficiency, while making the pretreatment process easier and more time-saving through magnetic separation. Less usage of adsorbent makes the method possess another advantage of being lower in cost per sample. The method developed was successfully applied to analyze real samples collected from local deli counters, demonstrating Fe₃O₄-MWCNTs could be considered as an effective alternative adsorbent with great potential in the QuEChERS process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Food: Applicability, Functionality, and Safety)

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11 pages, 1623 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fluorescent Sensing of Ciprofloxacin and Chloramphenicol in Milk Samples via Inner Filter Effect and Photoinduced Electron Transfer Based on Nanosized Rod-Shaped Eu-MOF

by Xiaoyue Yue, Chaoyun Wu, Zijun Zhou, Long Fu and Yanhong Bai

Foods 2022, 11(19), 3138; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11193138 - 9 Oct 2022

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3044

Abstract

Rapid, facile, and accurate detection of antibiotic residues is vital for practical applications. Herein, we designed a sensitive, visual, and rapid analytical method for sensitive detection of ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol based on a nanosized rod-shaped Europium metal organic framework (Eu-MOF). The fluorescent Eu-MOF was firstly synthesized by a simple synthetic route at room temperature, which displays a red emission. The mechanisms of detecting ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol were confirmed to be the inner filter effect (IFE) and photoinduced electron transfer (PET). Under the optimized experimental conditions, the detection limits of the developed method for ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol detection were 0.0136 and 3.16 μM, respectively. Moreover, the sensor was effectively applied for quantitative determination of ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol milk samples with satisfactory recoveries of 94.5–102% and 97–110%, respectively. This work developed a new method for rapid detection of ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol residues. In addition, the established method has potential practical application value for on-site safety regulation on antibiotic residues in animal-derived food. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Food: Applicability, Functionality, and Safety)

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10 pages, 2446 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Smartphone Colorimetric Sensor Based on Pt@Au Nanozyme for Visual and Quantitative Detection of Omethoate

by Biao Zhang, Ruofan Zhou, Huiqi Zhang, Danfeng Cai, Xiaodong Lin, Yihan Lang, Yulou Qiu, Xuping Shentu, Zihong Ye and Xiaoping Yu

Foods 2022, 11(18), 2900; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11182900 - 18 Sep 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3372

Abstract

A smartphone colorimetric sensor based on the Pt@Au nanozyme was successfully developed for the visual and quantitative detection of omethoate in fruit and vegetables. The anti-omethoate antibody was conjugated on the surface of the Pt@Au nanozyme as a catalytic functional signal probe, and coating antigen conjugated on the surface of magnetic polystyrene microspheres (MPMs) was used as a separation capture probe. In the sensing system, when the catalytic functional signal probe was combined with a separation capture probe containing no omethoate, the visible blue color appeared with the addition of tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) chromogenic solution, and the maximum B value of the sensing system was obtained via the smartphone. With increasing concentrations of omethoate, the visualization of the sensing system decreased, and the B-value obtained via the smartphone dropped. Under optimal detection conditions, the omethoate could be detected in a linear range of 0.5–50 μg/L (R² = 0.9965), with a detection limit of 0.01 μg/L. The accuracy and reliability of the detection results of this colorimetric sensor were successfully confirmed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and gas chromatography. This colorimetric sensor provides a technical reference and potential strategy for the immunoassay of hazard factors in resource-scarce laboratories. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Food: Applicability, Functionality, and Safety)

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16 pages, 2960 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Facile Synthesis of N, S-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots from Food Waste as Fluorescent Probe for Sensitive Detection of Thiamphenicol and Its Analogues in Real Food Samples along with an Application in Bioimaging

by Shujuan Chen, Wanlin Ouyang, Yiting Zhu, Li He, Likou Zou, Xiaolin Ao, Shuliang Liu, Yong Yang and Jianlong Li

Foods 2022, 11(16), 2414; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11162414 - 11 Aug 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2306

Abstract

Herein, N, S co-doped carbon quantum dots (N, S-CDs) with high absolute quantitative yield (Abs-QY) of 50.2% were produced by hydrothermal treatment of food residue crayfish shells. A new detection method of thiamphenicol (TAP) and its analogues was established by discovering the obvious fluorescence response between TAP and N, S-CDs, which achieved a wide linear range of 20–300 μg·L⁻¹ with a detection limit (LOD) of 11.12 μg·L⁻¹. This novel probe exhibited strong sensitivity and shows rapid response in complex food matrices (overall detection time is less than 45 min) mainly induced by static quenching. Spiked food sample recovery ranged from 97.3 to 99.34%. Further, the cell experiments of N, S-CDs were conducted, and the cell viability remained 91.76% under high concentration of N, S-CDs due to the environmentally friendly materials. The low cytotoxicity and good cytocompatibility make these N, S-CDs compatible for cell bioimaging and intracellular detection of TAP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Food: Applicability, Functionality, and Safety)

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12 pages, 1284 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Squalene-Rich Amaranth Oil Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Native α-Lactalbumin Nanoparticles

by Andrea P. Cuevas-Gómez, Berenice González-Magallanes, Izlia J. Arroyo-Maya, Gustavo F. Gutiérrez-López, Maribel Cornejo-Mazón and Humberto Hernández-Sánchez

Foods 2022, 11(14), 1998; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11141998 - 6 Jul 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1887

Abstract

The stabilization of Pickering emulsions by nanoparticles has drawn great interest in the field of food science and technology. In this study, α-Lactalbumin nanoparticles prepared by the desolvation and cross-linking method from protein solutions with initial pH values of 9 and 11 were used to stabilize squalene-rich amaranth oil Pickering o/w emulsions. The effect of different concentrations of nanoparticles on the size, size distribution, ζ potential, and emulsion stability was evaluated using dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, and light backscattering. Dependence of the emulsions’ droplet size on the nanoparticle concentration was observed, and the critical coverage ratio was reached when 5–10% nanoparticles concentration was used. Our findings suggest that α-LA nanoparticles at a 10% concentration can be used as novel stabilizers for Pickering emulsions to provide protection for beneficial lipophilic bioactive compounds. This is the first time that native α-LA nanoparticles have been used as stabilizers of Pickering emulsions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Food: Applicability, Functionality, and Safety)

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