Línea de acontecimientos

The success of Senseo coffee machines in some countries have shown that there are commercial possibilities to bring the final processing of certain products closer to the consumer. Mixing your own blend of flavours for a specific pro- duct in the supermarket, or even at home, to tailor the taste to your individual preferences will be possible in the near future. One of the difficulties in these concepts is that flavours are usually vulnerable molecules that easily oxidise or are broken down when they are outside their own matrix. For these concepts to work, the different flavour components need to be protected against break- down. Again nanotechnologies with encapsulation of the flavour substances can be called for here. The encapsulation systems can be designed in such a way that the flavours are preserved under storage conditions, but are released by an external trigger, like heat or mechanical force (stirring). Also the presence of other molecules or the bulk matrix of the food product can make the encap- sulate to break apart and release its contents.

7.5

Discussion

From the above it is clear that there are many benefits to be had from nano- technologies for various parties involved in producing and consuming foods or the results of that. Some of these applications are easily acceptable, others are more controversial. A key element is the risks perceived. The risks of novel sensors and innovations in the processes to produce food products are small, whereas the benefits can be large. These applications of micro- and nano- technologies are therefore more acceptable than the product innovations where the technology is part of the foodstuff and ends up in the body. These mostly are the encapsulation systems that can deliver essential nutrients to the body. They are, however, designed to break up and consequently will not persist in the body. Unfortunately these aspects do not seem to change the perception of consumers on the possible risks of these applications.

117 Potential Benefits and Market Drivers

It is speculated that the term ‘nanotechnology’ is bound to raise negative perceptions, because it generates associations with biotechnology and other technologies that are commonly regarded as unnatural and risk prone. This is one of the reasons that the food industry refrains from using the term ‘nano- technology’. Communication about the different types of nanotechnology and the distinction between nanotechnology and nanoparticles will eventually change the perception of the relatively harmless applications in food. The lack of openness on the industry’s part is counterproductive for the communication and could seriously backfire in the case of an incident. Trust can be gained by communicating about the new products from the perspective of the consumer and addressing their worries about the perceived risks.

To mutually share the benefits of the new technological developments, consumers need to develop trust in the applications of nanotechnologies in food. In addition to the communication, appropriate regulation can also contribute towards building of trust. Regulation implies that an impartial body, often a government body, has evaluated a particular application and has verified that its use in food is safe. To benefit most from this effect of regulation, it is necessary that the presence of regulation is communicated. In food applications, this usually implies labelling. Once approved for use in food, a nanotechnology application could be given a code with which informed con- sumers can retrieve information on the risks and benefits of the specific com- ponent in the product. However, the lack of clear definitions, complexity of the subject and the problem that nanotechnology is virtually undetectable in most foodstuffs makes the risk governance of nanotechnology in food very difficult.13

Getting a ‘licence to produce’ from the consumers for food products that use high-tech solutions to create specific benefits is the only way to introduce new products on the market. This is a generally applicable fact, but is more speci- fically valid in the food market. Food is something people take inside of themselves. Moreover, once eaten, it can not be removed from the body easily. That is why consumers are very particular about the things they eat. Prehistoric man already learned to be conservative and be cautious about new foods. New foods had to be tried and tested over long periods of time to determine their safety and nutritional value before they were accepted as routine food items. This is still one of the driving mechanisms for the conservatism of consumers towards new food products and the application of technologies they can not detect in foods. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that new nanotechno- logical developments are primarily aimed at addressing the needs and aspira- tions of the consumers, and are not seen as benefiting the industry alone.

References

1. Institute of Food Science & Technology, Trust Fund: Information State- ment, Nanotechnology, 2006.

2. Nanoforum.org, Nanotechnol. Agric. Food, May 2006.

3. J. M. Manski, A. J. van der Goot and R. M. Boom, Biomacromolecules, 2007, 8(4), 1271–1279.

4. WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety, 2002.

5. E. Kress-Rogers and C. J. B. Brimelow (eds.), Instrumentation and Sensors for the Food Industry, Woodhead Publishing Limited, 2nd edn., 2001 (ISBN 1 85573 560 1).

6. H. Chen, W. Jochen and S. Fereidoon, Food Technol., 2006, 3, 30. 7. C. I. Moraru, C. P. Panchapakesan, Q. Huang, P. Takhistov, S. Liu and J.

L. Kokini, Food Technol., 2003, 57, 24.

8. J. Weiss, P. Takhistov and D. J. McClements, J. Food Sci., 2006, 71, 107. 9. C. J. M. van Rijn, Nano and Micro Engineered Membrane Technology,

Elsevier, 2004.

10. P. Kumar and K. L. Mittal (eds.), Handbook of Microemulsion Science and Technology, ISBN 0824719794.

11. S. Moore, Modern Plastics, 1999, 76, 31.

12. K. E. Drexler, Engines of Creation, ISBN 0-385-19973-2.

13. A. Grobe, O. Renn and A. Jaeger, Risk Governance of Nanotechnology Applications in Food and Cosmetics, Report from IRGC (2008), ISBN 978- 2-9700631-4-8.

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CHAPTER 8

Engineered Nanoparticles and