ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology is dened as creation, utilization, and manipulation of materials, devices, or systems in the nanometer scale (smaller than 100 nm). Nanoencapsulation as an important eld of nanotechnology is a process that involves entrapping bioactive agents within carrier materials with a dimension in nanoscale (Fathi et al., 2014). Currently, the market of nanotechnology products in the food industry is approaching $1 billion (most of this on nanoparticle coatings for packaging technologies, healthpromoting products, and beverages) and has the potential to grow to more than $20 billion in the next decade (Chau et al., 2007). Recent reviews present an excellent summary of the research groups and private and government organizations that have been spearheading the eld of food nanotechnology (Chau et al., 2007; Chen et al., 2006; Sanguansri and Augustin, 2006). Most of the work that these research groups have generated over the last 5 years on nanoparticle vehicles has concentrated on developing production methods inspired on pharmaceutical drug delivery systems
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 109 Nanotechnology in Drugs and Pharmaceuticals .................................................... 110 Nanotechnology in Food and Nutrition ................................................................. 113
Carbohydrate-Based Nano-and Microencapsulation ....................................... 113 Methods Used in Encapsulation ............................................................................. 114
Phenolic Phytochemicals: A Unique Example of Nanoparticle Delivery Systems ............................................................................................................. 114
Bioavailability and Toxicity ................................................................................... 116 Nanotechnology Products on the Market ............................................................... 116 Consumer Acceptance ............................................................................................ 117 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 118 References .............................................................................................................. 119
(Sanguansri et al., 2006). The challenge in developing such production methods has been to replace some of the polymers and surfactants used in the pharmaceutical industry with food-grade alternatives.
