The Potential of Nanocomposites in the Packaging Field

Dear Colleagues,

in recent years we are witnessing a deep evolution of food packaging materials and technologies, in response to the increasingly complex needs of the markets, of the distribution and of consumers. Packaging systems have therefore become increasingly sophisticated, adding new features that can be achieved thanks to the rapid evolution of new materials. In particular, the development of nanostructured materials and nanotechnologies has made it possible to implement and accelerate innovation in the field of food packaging. Actually, several applications of nanomaterials in packaging and food safety have been studied and developed including for instance polymer/clay nanocomposites as high barrier packaging materials, silver nanoparticles as potent antimicrobial agents, nanosensors and nanomaterial-based assays for the detection of food contaminants or control the packaging conditions integrity.

Furthermore, the increasing use of nanoparticle-based materials is bringing many concerns for the possible effects of their contact with food.

Thus, the above mentioned issues strongly need to be further investigated in order to exploit the several potentialities of nanotechnology which can not only enable safe and effective distribution and preservation of foods but can also facilitate their end-use suitability and sustainability both at producer and the consumer levels.

Papers aimed to cover current and future trends in experimental and/or computational (e.g., properties modeling and shelf life prediction of foods) studies, on the actual use and perspectives of nanocomposites materials in the field of Food Packaging will be very welcome.

Prof. Dr. Luciano Di Maio
Prof. Dr. Loredana Incarnato
Guest Editors

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