Nanotechnologies in food microbiology: overview, recent developments, and challenges

Antimicrobial agents are originally presented or purposely incorporated in the food system to inhibit microbial growth or kill pathogens to ensure food safety and quality. However, problems such as poor water solubility, limited physical and chemical stability, uncontrolled release behaviour, and side effects on food sensory characteristics may arise with the direct addition of antimicrobial agents into food products. The current advancement in nanotechnology can overcome these existing challenges by incorporating the antimicrobial agents in the food application. Nanoencapsulation technologies that include nanoliposomes, nanoemulsions, solid-lipid nanoparticles, coacervation, ionic gelation, and spray-drying could be a favorable approach in improving shelf life and preservation properties.These technologies allow the protection of unstable active agents against extreme environmental conditions, removal of incompatibilities, enhancement of solubility, or masking of unpleasant taste or odour. In this chapter, different nanoencapsulation technologies about their physicochemical properties, functionalities, processing methods, delivery mechanisms, benefits, and limitations, as well as potential challenges are discussed. The understanding of these novel technologies is vital to facilitate further research and their potential applications in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries.