The demand for safe, reliable, and minimally processed food materials is increasing rapidly. To meet this need and ensure microbe-free products, nanomaterials and nanostructures are playing an important role in food preservation. Through active and intelligent packaging, nano-coatings, and engineered nanostructures that interact directly with food particles and their surrounding environment, these technologies provide enhanced preservation and strong antimicrobial properties.1
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An Overview of Nanostructured Smart Packaging
Nanostructured smart packaging is becoming increasingly important in food safety and preservation, helping extend shelf life while maintaining food quality. Smart nanostructured packaging can take the form of active or intelligent systems, each serving closely related yet distinct functions within the broader goal of protecting and monitoring food products.
Active nanostructured packaging systems, comprising nanomaterials, nano-coatings, or nanocomposites, interact directly with the food particles or the surrounding environment via physicochemical and biological processes, significantly improving the safety and extending the life of food items. Intelligent packaging systems are functionalized with nanostructured materials, ensuring unmatched monitoring of conditions and food items, while simultaneously communicating the conditions to the user using dedicated sensing mechanisms.2
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Nano-Silver Particles for the Protection of Food Items
Food spoilage and food-borne infections are a major threat in recent times, with bacteria like Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter jejuni severely affecting human health. To prevent food spoilage and ensure human safety, nanoparticles such as nano-silver particles (AgNPs) are a popular choice for food packaging and protection against deadly microbes.
These silver nanoparticles have exceptional antimicrobial properties and are characterized by having a large surface area and low toxicity. Nano-silver particles, upon interacting with bacteria near food particles, release silver ions, destroying the bacterial cell wall and preventing deoxyribonucleic acid replication. This not only eliminates the existing microbes but also prevents any further growth, ensuring safety and freshness. In the case of viruses and fungi, nano-silver particles have been found to penetrate to the cell membrane level, causing severe damage by altering the structure.
Several research studies have demonstrated that AgNPs eradicate Gram-positive bacteria by directly interfering with resistance determinants, disrupting biofilm integrity, and significantly suppressing virulence regulators. In fungi, AgNPs trigger cytotoxic effects primarily through the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This elevated ROS production induces oxidative stress within fungal cells, leading to the degradation of proteins and lipids and causing substantial damage to organelle structures.
The release of Ag+ ions in the presence of parasites allows AgNPs to breach the cell walls. For example, AgNPs impair C. parvum viability by damaging the oocyst wall due to the release of Ag+ ions, leading to the death of parasites.3 These functional attributes and ability to disrupt microbial cells make nanoparticles, especially silver nanoparticles, an innovative solution in modern food engineering.
Aside from silver nanoparticles, nano-zinc particles are also quite effective in preserving food items. The release of zinc ions, along with the generation of Reactive Oxygen Species, disrupts the internal structures of microbes. Other notable nanoparticles include Nano-titanium dioxide, Nano-silicon dioxide, Nano-chitosan, and Nano Poly (lactic acid) PLA particles.4
Nanostructured Films Enable Food Protection
Nanostructured films enhance the barrier properties of food packaging by creating highly intricate pathways that restrict the penetration of gases, moisture, and UV light. These complex internal networks make it considerably more difficult for oxygen and other external elements to pass through the packaging and affect food quality.
Research studies have shown that when clay nanoparticles are incorporated into the polymer matrix of food packaging materials, they form a labyrinth-like structure. This structure significantly limits oxygen entry, thereby extending the shelf life of food products and helping preserve their freshness and overall quality.
Nanostructured coatings and films are often functionalized with antimicrobial properties and intelligent features designed to release active agents that neutralize free radicals, thereby slowing food deterioration. By targeting oxidative processes and microbial growth, these systems help maintain product stability and safety over time.
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In addition, these coatings regulate gas exchange and moisture transfer, creating a controlled microenvironment within the packaging. This balanced interaction with the surrounding conditions supports extended shelf life while preserving the food’s quality, texture, and nutritional value.
Nanostructured films and coatings control water vapor transport, along with oxygen permeability, ensuring that optimized moisture levels are maintained, which keeps the food fresh for longer.5
A good example is the utilization of Graphene Oxide (GO) coating layer in modern packages. The GO material incorporated in gelatin and PLA packaging materials as a thin coating improves barrier properties while boosting mechanical strength and thermal attributes.
The plane of carbon atoms in GO incorporates hydroxyl, carboxyl, and other oxygen-containing groups. The 2D structure of GO nanosheets allows it to be used as a filler to blend with polymers. The layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly, made possible due to the stacking of 2D nanolayers, leads to good oxidation resistance and significantly decreases oxygen permeability, up to 99%.6
How do Nanomaterials Ensure Freshness of Harvested Fruits and Prevent Spoilage?
Ethylene is a gaseous hormone released by harvested fruits and vegetables, which accelerates the ripening process to such an extent that fruits and vegetables spoil. During storage of harvested fruits, nanoparticles are added into functional coatings to delay rotting.
Zeolite nanoparticles with KMnO4 coatings have a much higher surface area-to-volume ratio than conventional materials. The nanoscale morphology allows for a porous structure containing various strong adsorption sites, which strongly attract ethylene. The cations within the zeolite nanoparticle network generate strong electric fields, which interact with the ethylene-based quadrupole moment, allowing nanoparticle-based coatings to collect and remove ethylene, slowing down the ripening process.7
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Nanostructured Carbon Dots (CDs) with Radio Frequency (RF) Extending Shelf
Radio frequency (RF) technology has been widely applied in food pasteurization due to its efficiency and ability to provide rapid, uniform heating. In a recent development, researchers evaluated a novel pasteurization approach that combines cyclodextrin (CD)-based active polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film with RF treatment.
This integrated technology was tested on fried meatballs to assess both its effectiveness and its underlying preservation mechanism. The study aimed to determine how the combined action of RF pasteurization and the active packaging film influences microbial reduction, product stability, and overall quality retention.
The -OH/-COOH functional groups integrated within the PVA chain interacted with the ones on the surface of CD, leading to the formation of hydrogen bonds that led to significant improvement in mechanical properties. The incorporation of CDs within the RF treatment network led to the elimination of DPPH and ABTS radicals, restraining the growth of E. coli and S. aureus. The treatment destroys the microbial cell wall, causing leakage of nucleic acid and eradicating microbial growth. The removal of bacteria and harmful radicals due to the incorporation of nanostructured CDs increased the shelf life from 2 weeks to around 6 weeks.8
In short, the advantage of utilizing nanostructures and nanomaterials for food preservation is due to the nanoscale morphological design, allowing them to disrupt microbial growth, minimize oxygen and moisture transport, and ensure removal of harmful hormones. With the integration of emerging technologies like Machine Learning (ML) and advanced 3D precision-based additive manufacturing, we shall soon witness new avenues in food packaging and safety.9
Conclusion
Nanostructures are reshaping food safety by delivering advanced antimicrobial protection, enhanced barrier performance, and intelligent monitoring capabilities. By disrupting microbial growth, managing oxygen and moisture transfer, and regulating ripening processes, nanomaterials help extend shelf life while maintaining food quality. Innovations such as nano-silver particles, graphene oxide coatings, and ethylene-absorbing nanoparticles illustrate how nanoscale design allows for precise control over food preservation environments.
Emerging hybrid approaches that combine nanostructured materials with technologies like radio frequency processing are further strengthening microbial inactivation and improving product stability. As manufacturing capabilities mature and regulatory frameworks evolve, nanostructured packaging is expected to play an increasingly important role in supporting safer, longer-lasting, and more sustainable food systems.
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Further Reading
- RIVM on Advanced Materials, E. (2025) Potential of nanomaterials in food packaging to improve food safety and Sustainability, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. (Online). Available at: https://www.rivm.nl/en/weblog/potential-of-nanomaterials-in-food-packaging-to-improve-food-safety-and-sustainability [Accessed: 13 February 2026].
- Amin, U. et. al. (2022). Biodegradable active, intelligent, and smart packaging materials for food applications. Food Packaging and Shelf Life, 33, 100903. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2022.100903
- Allahverdy, J., & Jafari, S. M. (2025). Silver nanoparticles for inactivation and destruction of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms; mechanisms, efficiency and recent advances. Future Foods, 100889. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2025.100889
- Zhao, Z. et. al. (2025). Types of nanomaterials commonly used in food packaging, film formation techniques, and recent advances in their applications. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 60(1), vvae036. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/IJFOOD/vvae036
- Chudasama, M., & Goyary, J. (2024). Nanostructured materials in food science: current progress and future prospects. Next Materials, 5, 100206. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nxmate.2024.100206
- Muthu, A. et. al. (2025). "Nanomaterials for Smart and Sustainable Food Packaging: Nano-Sensing Mechanisms, and Regulatory Perspectives" Foods 14(15). 2657. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14152657
- Brindhav, A. et. al. (2025). Unveiling the Cutting-edge Applications of Nanotechnology in the Food Industry-From Lab to Table-a comprehensive review. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 21, 101831. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2025.101831
- Zhao, L. et. al. (2024). "Effects of Carbon Dots/PVA Film Combined with Radio Frequency Treatment on Storage Quality of Fried Meatballs" Foods 13(22). 3653. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13223653
- Li, D., & Xue, R. (2025). Nanostructured materials for smart food packaging: Integrating preservation and antimicrobial properties. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 124, 446-461. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2025.04.002
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