Nanotechnology in Food Science: Functionality, Applicability, and Safety Assessment

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as one of the most promising and rapidly advancing fields in food science, providing innovative strategies to tackle global challenges related to food quality, safety, waste reduction, and sustainability. The incorporation of nanomaterials in food packaging, preservation, and processing not only enhances functional performance but also opens new avenues for intelligent and active packaging systems.

As the global food industry continues to seek sustainable solutions to extend shelf life, minimize environmental impact, and ensure consumer safety, nanotechnology-based approaches show great promise. The research in this area majorly focuses on the development of bionanocomposite films, which exhibit superior barrier, mechanical, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties and can be tailored to enable the controlled release of active agents or the real-time monitoring of food freshness by tracking quality factors. In addition, certain nanomaterials have also been studied as direct food additives, either to improve the food properties or to enhance shelf life.

Despite these advancements, significant concerns and knowledge gaps persist regarding the scalability, biocompatibility, environmental impact, and regulatory challenges of using nanomaterials in food applications. There is a growing need for interdisciplinary research that not only develops novel nanomaterials but also evaluates their safety, functionality, and practical applicability across the food supply chain.

This Special Issue seeks to address this need by bringing together high-quality contributions that advance our understanding of nanotechnology in food science. We especially encourage submissions focused on nanomaterials for food packaging and preservation, with an emphasis on bionanocomposites, biodegradable polymers, and smart packaging systems.

Scope of the Special Issue:

We invite both original research articles and review papers that explore, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Development and characterization of nanostructured and bionanocomposite materials for food packaging.
• Innovative applications of nanotechnology in food preservation and shelf-life extension.
• Active and intelligent packaging systems with nanoscale sensors or release mechanisms.
• Nanomaterial-based food sensing systems for quality assessment and freshness monitoring.
• Sustainable synthesis and environmental impact of nanomaterials used in food systems.
• Migration behavior, toxicological evaluation, and safety assessment of food-contact nanomaterials.
• Regulatory frameworks and risk analysis of nanotechnology in the food sector.
• Nanocarriers for nutrient delivery or controlled release of active compounds.
• Integration of biodegradable polymers and natural resources in nano-enabled packaging.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for researchers, scientists, and industry professionals to share cutting-edge findings and future perspectives that can shape the sustainable evolution of food packaging and preservation technologies.

Dr. Ajahar Khan
Dr. Zohreh Riahi
Dr. Ruchir Priyadarshi
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 2900 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.

• nanotechnology
• food packaging
• bionanocomposites
• active packaging
• intelligent packaging
• biodegradable materials
• food preservation
• nano-enabled materials
• safety assessment
• sustainable food systems