ABSTRACT
The application of nanoparticles and nanostructures in meat and fishery products is relatively recent and is arousing increasing interest. Nanostructure magnifies the properties with respect to traditional compounds (which are larger), owing to the greater surface area exposed and the small size, facilitating greater accessibility in food. There are many different kinds of nanoparticles and nanostructures; for example, they may use metals or substances of vegetable or animal origin, such as chitosan structures. Otherwise, the application of natural compounds to maintain product quality is increasingly demanded, but the sensory characteristics of the products limit their use. Encapsulation by nanovesicles (emulsions and liposomes) of these compounds is a good strategy to mitigate their sensory characteristics while allowing progressive release of the bioactive agent to exert its action. This is the case with essential oil nanoemulsions. Liposomes entrapping bioactive compounds of many different kinds could be ingredients for the design of functional food products, while they improve the nutritional value because of their high-quantity polyunsaturated fatty acid, but they can also be used in the food industry for a large diversity of technological purposes. Meat and fishery product packaging can be improved by nanotechnology in aspects concerning the improvement of physicochemical properties and the design of active and intelligent packages.
With regard to the use of nanobiosensors, often, they are mere prototypes, but no doubt, they will soon be implemented in industrial quality control because they present high sensitivity, repeatability, and quickness. They are mainly applied to guarantee species identification and to detect compounds and microorganisms.
