report
2.3.4 Additional demand for research

Quality control in the food processing industry ideally requires in-line monitoring so that contamination can be identified as quickly as possible, and production halted. This is a highly repetitive process, with sampling points a various stages of production. While nanotechnology enabled sensors have the potential to deliver on this- in terms of sensitivity and real-time response; these are not sufficiently mature. One of the major considerations for the detection of chemical and biological contaminants that will need to be addressed, before such systems become common-place, is the pre-treatment of samples to remove interfering components. In this regard a pre-filtration or lysis step, followed by an enriching system (such as functionalised magnetic nanoparticles ) could be used to remove other materials from the food sample prior to assaying for a specific contaminant. Different steps such as these could be incorporated into an integrated microfluidics device.

Novel coatings for food processing equipment and filters for handling of waste and purification of low concentration bioactives are expected to bring efficiency savings and improved products. However, coatings will need to demonstrate longevity, lower bio-film production and compatibility with different foodstuffs before they are adopted by the industry. This is most likely to require pilot plant production and rigorous testing. Ultrafiltration is an established technology for the separation of different food products and waste; nanofiltration in contrast has largely been employed within laboratory settings. It does offer the opportunity to discriminate between smaller molecular weight components, through engineering of the different membrane layers, however much fundamental research still needs to be undertaken before the fluid mechanics of these systems are fully understood and therefore controlled.

Functional foods offer huge potential both in terms of nutrition and in market value. The real advantages that nanotechnology offers is the inclusion of nutrients without affecting the sensory perception of the consumer, improving the uptake of nutrients by the body and/or the alteration of food structure to more effectively compensate for the removal of less nutritious components. However, much of this is still at the laboratory scale, with some (in particular nano-emulsions) still requiring fundamental research to fully define the relevant parameters controlling the system.