Engineering the nano-based packaging materials for the post-harvest storage

Abstract

In the current scenario, nanotechnology has evolved over the years and revolutionized the agricultural and food systems with substantial potential. Owing to the benefits of size, efficiency, innovativeness and better performance, the nanomaterials have facilitated post-harvest management of food products. The various interventions of nanotechnology (controlled ripening, curtailing the microbial growth, advances in packaging, nanobiosensors for labelling, spoilage sensing) in post-harvest unit operations have strengthened and boosted the quality of the food systems. Packaging is an important domain of post-harvest processing of food products and is constantly going forward along with the innovations in material science and technology, as well as from the consumer’s perception. The consumers nowadays are more focused towards the food products with natural quality, minimal processing, assured safety, better shelf-life and ready-to-eat concept. The employment of nanoparticles in food packaging has accelerated the development of techniques concerned with freshness, contamination and adulteration of food products. Nano-technological interventions to food packaging predominantly envisage three prospects viz. incorporation into food products, incorporation in packaging material, and application in food processing. This chapter concentrates on the recent advancement and application of numerous nanomaterials in various dimensions of innovative packaging technologies.ble