NANOTECHNOLOGY IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY: NANOPARTICLES USED IN MEAT CONSERVATION

Abstract

One of the main challenges of the meat industry is to guarantee salubriousness, innocuousness, and conservation. The technological innovations are centered on the use of inoculants that detect or protect the meat against pathogenic agents. The nanoparticles incorporated into the meat packages act like antimicrobial and antioxidant agents, representing a new generation in packaging. The silver, copper, gold, zinc ions, metal oxides (TiO₂, ZnO, MgO), nanoclays, natural biopolymers, enzymes, and synthetic antimicrobial agents are the products most frequently researched. However, their legislation is not completely developed and the acceptance by consumers and production costs must be considered. These segments may be able to be compensated, with reductions in meat waste, due to improvement in the quality and shelf life of the product. A revision of nanoparticles incorporated into meat to preserve primarily their quality and innocuousness is presented.