Potential Application of Nanotechnology in Food Processing and Packaging: A Review

The application of nano materials in agricultural industry has the potential to ensure food and nutritional security for the developing world, as they can potentially develop favourable interactions with various biomolecules. Nanotechnology consist of creating and manipulating organic and inorganic substance at the nanoscale. The manipulation of food polymers to provide improved food quality and safety. New ideas based on nanotechnology are being explored to develop product functionality and delivery efficiency. It promises to provide the means for designing nanomaterials which is made physical, chemical and biological properties. Application of nanobiotechnology exist in all of the traditional areas of biotechnology such as in the field of food and agriculture for example the design of biosensors for detecting pathogens, spores, meat tenderness, food spoilage and food adulteration and provide contamination free food and to ensure the consumer acceptability of the food with enhanced functional properties. This new field of technology will also arise a number of ethical and social issues as the new pathological agents or new ways of delivering them can be developed and can be used for many purposes. This review talks not only the current and future use of nanotechnology in the biological sciences, but also the significant ethical ramifications of such applications.

Biodegradable Binary and Ternary Complexes from Renewable Raw Materials

The aim of this paper is to investigate the interactions between polysaccharides with different electrical charges (anionic and neutral starches) and proteins and fats in food ingredients. Another objective is to understand the mechanisms of these systems and the interdependence between their properties and intermolecular interactions. At present, there are not many studies on ternary blends composed of natural food polymers: polysaccharides of different electrical charge (anionic and neutral starches), proteins and lipids. Additionally, there are no reports concerning what type of interactions between polysaccharide, proteins and lipids exist simultaneously when the components are mixed in different orders. This paper intends to fill this gap. It also presents the application of natural biopolymers in the food and non-food industries.

The Physiology and Biochemistry of the Digestion System of Termites from the Genus Anacanthotermes Jacobson, 1904

A variety of morphological and functional features of the digestive system of termites is associated with their nutritional adaptation. Wood is mostly the food of termites’ adult larvae, workers and young nymphs. The salivary and intestinal enzymes play an important part in this process. The physiology and biochemistry of the digestion system of termites from the genus Anacanthotermes is still not fully studied. In the present research, we studied the activity of some carbohydrases in termites’ salivary glands. Our data show that the activity of exocellulase in adult termites is 1.5 times more that in young individuals and 3 times more active than in nymphs, while the exocellulase in soldiers remains inactive. Moreover, the activity of celluloses in the intestine of A. turkestanicus is still not fully studied. We observed that exocellulase is involved in the digestion of food polymers in the castes of termites-workers, nymphs and soldiers. Thus, cellulase activity in the intestinal tissue (intrinsic) is manifested at a very low level in all termites’ castes we studied. However, the activity of exocellulase in the intestinal cavity (symbiotic) increases 3.5 times in workers, 3.0 times in nymphs and 2.4 times in soldiers compared to that in intestinal tissue. In addition, the intrinsic activity of this enzyme differed little in all three castes of termites, whereas the symbiotic activity in workers and nymphs was more showed than in soldiers.

Edible oleogels based on water soluble food polymers: preparation, characterization and potential application

We demonstrate a novel way of using food polysaccharides to structure liquid oil into oleogels and further explore its potential application as a shortening alternative.