Special Issue "Nanotechnology in the Food Industry: Functionality, Applicability and Safety Assessment"

Dear Colleagues,

The global population is growing rapidly; however, there has been a significant decrease in crop productivity due to biotic and abiotic stresses, climate change, and water scarcity, hindering agricultural development. This could be overcome with the use of nanotechnology, an innovative technology helping to overcome all such barriers. Nanotechnology allows for the modification or control of every atom and molecule, making it possible to overcome problems in all scientific fields by altering or modifying the size of materials. Compared to bulk particles, nanoparticles exhibit better properties, such as an increase in surface area and physical strength. Agricultural and food systems can be revolutionized using nanotechnology. Accordingly, several patents and publications have been published on nanotechnology in the food industry, including packaging, quality control, nutraceutical delivery, and other areas; therefore, the field of food is experiencing a boom in the use of nanotechnology. Hence, nanotechnology has the potential to address several issues in food production. In this respect, especially, food scientists and food manufacturers are looking for novel solutions to maintain food safety and quality, as well as to improve the functional properties of food products. Different bioactive materials, such as thyme, curcumin, etc., some probiotics and lactic acid bacteria, such as L. reuteri, and various polymers, such as chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol, could be implemented to obtain nanosized materials, providing larger contact areas on food materials. With this goal in mind, nanoemulsions, nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanoliposomes, nanowhiskers, and nanosensors have been recently used to improve food safety and functionality. Additionally, they can be integrated into different types of materials used for packaging. In this regard, the presented Special Issue (SI) aims to include original research articles and reviews addressing the topics mentioned above using nanotechnology applications related to food functionality, applicability, and safety assessments.

Additionally, potential SI topics for contribution are summarized below:

1. Effects of nanotechnology treatments on retarding microbial spoilage in food products;
2. Characterization of fabricated nanomaterials with respect to their morphological, thermal, molecular, structural, particle size, and zeta potential characteristics;
3. Active and intelligent packaging applications;
4. Effect of obtained nanosized materials on chemical, physical, and sensory quality of foods;
5. Potential adverse effects of food products processed with nanomaterials on human health.

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Tahsin Yılmaz
Dr. Zafer Ceylan
Dr. Raciye Meral
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• nanoemulsions
• nanoparticles
• nanofibers
• nanoliposomes
• nanowhiskers
• nanosensors
• recent developments in nanotechnology
• characterization of nanomaterials
• food applications
• food safety and functionality
• active and intelligent packaging