In this article, several applications of nanomaterials in food packaging and food safety are reviewed, including: polymer/clay nanocomposites as high barrier packaging materials, silver nanoparticles as potent antimicrobial agents, and nanosensors and nanomaterial-based assays for the detection of food-relevant analytes (gasses, small organic molecules and food-borne pathogens). In addition to covering the technical aspects of these topics, the current commercial status and understanding of health implications of these technologies are also discussed. These applications were chosen because they do not involve direct addition of nanoparticles to consumed foods, and thus are more likely to be marketed to the public in the short term.

Applications of nanotechnology in food packaging and food safety: Barrier materials, antimicrobials and sensors

Environmental and societal problems related to energy use have spurred the development of sustainable energy technologies, such as wind mills, carbon capture and storage, and hydrogen vehicles. Public acceptance of these technologies is crucial for their successful introduction into society. Although various studies have investigated technology acceptance, most technology acceptance studies focused on a limited set of factors that can influence public acceptance, and were not based on a comprehensive framework including key factors influencing technology acceptance. This paper puts forward a comprehensive framework of energy technology acceptance, based on a review of psychological theories and on empirical technology acceptance studies. The framework aims to explain the intention to act in favor or against new sustainable energy technologies, which is assumed to be influenced by attitude, social norms, perceived behavioral control, and personal norm. In the framework, attitude is influenced by the perceived costs, risks and benefits, positive and negative feelings in response to the technology, trust, procedural fairness and distributive fairness. Personal norm is influenced by perceived costs, risks and benefits, outcome efficacy and awareness of adverse consequences of not accepting the new technology. The paper concludes with discussing the applicability of the framework.

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Psychological factors influencing sustainable energy technology acceptance: A review-based comprehensive framework

https://www.cell.com/trends/biotechnology/pdf/S0167-7799(08)00291-6.pdf

Nanotechnology and its applications in the food sector

The Health Council of the Netherlands (HCN) and other organisations hold the basic assumption that induced electric current and the generation and absorption of heat in biological material caused by radiofrequency electromagnetic fields are the only causal effects with possible adverse consequences for human health that have been scientifically established to date. Hence, the exposure guidelines for the 10 MHz-10 GHz frequency range are based on avoiding adverse effects of increased temperatures that may occur of the entire human body at a specific absorption rate (SAR) level above 4 W/kg. During the workshop on Thermal Aspects of Radio Frequency Exposure on 11-12 January 2010 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, the question was raised whether there would be a practical advantage in shifting from expressing the exposure limits in SAR to expressing them in terms of a maximum allowable temperature increase. This would mean defining adverse time-temperature thresholds. In this paper, the HCN discusses the need for this, considering six points: consistency, applicability, quantification, causality, comprehensibility and acceptability. The HCN concludes that it seems unlikely that a change of dosimetric quantity will help us forward in the discussion on the scientific controversies regarding the existence or non-existence of non-thermal effects in humans following long duration, low intensity exposure to electromagnetic fields. Therefore, the HCN favours maintaining the current approach of basic restrictions and reference levels being expressed as SAR and in V/m or µT, respectively. © 2011 Informa UK Ltd All rights reserved.

Health Council of the Netherlands: No need to change from SAR to time-temperature relation in electromagnetic fields exposure limits

Recent research has highlighted the potential for nanotechnologies’ use in wide ranging food applications, including improving supplements, novel food packaging, increasing the range of food textures, colours and tastes, increasing the efficiency of liquid filters, cooking oil catalysation and targeted crop pesticides. Because of these new developments it is likely that radical changes in the way food is perceived, stored, packaged, transported, monitored, consumed and processed will come about. Available literature suggests that many uncertainties remain about nanomaterials, including the potential for bioaccumulation and potential human health risks. While proposed applications of nanotechnologies are wide and varied, developments are met with some caution, while progress may be stifled by lack of governance and potential risks.

/pdf/nanotechnologies-in-the-food-industry-recent-developments-55l4uvgvpq.pdf

Nanotechnologies in the food industry – Recent developments, risks and regulation

Public acceptance of nanotechnology foods and food packaging: The influence of affect and trust

http://ssu.ac.ir/cms/fileadmin/user_upload/Mtahghighat/tfood/asil-article/q-z2/The-consumer-s-perception-of-artificial-food-additives-Influences-on-acceptance-risk-and-benefit-perceptions_2014_Food-Quality-and-Preference.pdf

The consumer’s perception of artificial food additives: Influences on acceptance, risk and benefit perceptions

Expectations influence sensory experience in a wine tasting.

The implicit association test (IAT) measures automatic associations. In the present research, the IAT was adapted to measure implicit attitudes toward technological hazards. In Study 1, implicit and explicit attitudes toward nuclear power were examined. Implicit measures (i.e., the IAT) revealed negative attitudes toward nuclear power that were not detected by explicit measures (i.e., a questionnaire). In Study 2, implicit attitudes toward EMF (electro-magnetic field) hazards were examined. Results showed that cell phone base stations and power lines are judged to be similarly risky and, further, that base stations are more closely related to risk concepts than home appliances are. No differences between experts and lay people were observed. Results of the present studies are in line with the affect heuristic proposed by Slovic and colleagues. Affect seems to be an important factor in risk perception.

Marie-Eve Cousin

Papers

Public acceptance of nanotechnology foods and food packaging: The influence of affect and trust

The consumer’s perception of artificial food additives: Influences on acceptance, risk and benefit perceptions

Expectations influence sensory experience in a wine tasting.

Implicit Attitudes Toward Nuclear Power and Mobile Phone Base Stations: Support for the Affect Heuristic

Poultry consumers' behaviour, risk perception and knowledge related to campylobacteriosis and domestic food safety