Influence of Nanoparticles on the Shelf Life of Food in Packaging Materials

Food packaging involves multi-step activities with the main purposes being to provide attractive products to customers and to maintain food quality at the standard level so that maximum nutritional values and minimum loss of products can be achieved. Nanotechnology is integrated into food packaging to improve food quality, to prevent food spoilage, and to prolong shelf life of food products. During this decade, a wide range of food packages incorporated with nanoparticles possess characteristics, such as antimicrobial, anti-UV, and oxygen scavengers. The promising reports for nanomaterial inventions, including metal oxides, inorganic metal, nano-organic materials, etc. have been demonstrated in different stages of product development and in the market position. Although there is evidence of nanomaterials being beneficial, there are concerns regarding their use in food packaging due to uncontrolled exposure of humans and environments to nanoparticles. This chapter aims to provide a basic understanding of the mechanism to prolong food shelf life by using nanomaterial packaging, to address issues related to toxicity and safety, and to identify the future directions nanomaterial packaging could take.