ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology has revolutionized the food industry and confers paradigmatic shift through enrichment in nutritional value, innovations in nutrient delivery systems for enhancement of bioavailability, nano-formulated agrochemicals, intelligent packaging materials, and biosensors for the detection of foodborne pathogens and intoxicants. With an emphasis on toxicity and health concerns, food safety is recognized as a burning problem worldwide and responsibility for ensuring and enhancing the food safety is collectively shared by producers to consumers. The unceasingly growing public concern has incited research interest in the use of nanoparticles to develop nanosensors for detection of various contaminants and pathogens in food system. The elegant amalgamation of nanotechnology with different scientific disciplines leads to refurbished impetus to the development of a novel sensing platform for enhancement in the safety of food materials. Therefore, the present disclosure addresses the various aspects and embodiments related to the importance and types of nanosensors and its fabrication as well as comprehensive applications in food safety. Though the lucrative and innovative applications of nanotechnology have seen exponential growth in the last decade but the risk assessment and safety issues associated with this emerging technology have withdrawn ample attention among the scientific communities. Therefore, this chapter also covers the regulatory framework capable of managing any risks associated with implementation of nanoparticles in food safety. This chapter highlights the potential role of nanosensors 250in the field of enhancing the food safety. The food safety has been ensured by the prompt preventive action manifested by the rapid detection of food contaminants by the nanosensing devices. This is accomplished due to the remarkable properties of nanosensors in which the selective binding with the biological components with target analytes and their assessment through the transformation of detectable signals by the suitable transducers. This magical phenomenon confers various advantages of fast, sensitive, and portable detection to the nanosensors.
