Nanomaterials for products and application in agriculture, feed and food

• Nanotechnology is applied in agricultural production, animal feed, food processing, - additives and food contact materials.
• Nano-encapsulates, silver, titanium dioxide and silica are the most often mentioned nanomaterials in the literature.
• A comparison between marketed and in-development applications indicates a trend moving from inorganic to organic NM.
• Nanotechnology is an enabling technology, therefore product description should contain the function of a NM in the product.

BackgroundNanotechnology applications can be found in agricultural production, animal feed, food processing, food additives and food contact materials (hereinafter referred to as agri/feed/food). A great diversity of nanomaterials is reported to be currently used in various applications, while new nanomaterials and applications are reported to be in development.Scope and approachIt is expected that applications of nanomaterials in agri/feed/food will increase in the future and thereby increase the human and environmental exposure to such materials. To gain up-to-date knowledge we explored and reviewed the already marketed and in-development applications of nanomaterials in the agri/feed/food sectors upon the request of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In this paper the results of the project are highlighted and discussed in more detail.Key findings and conclusionsThe majority of the applications of nanomaterials that we identified concerned application in food as food additives and food contact materials, while much fewer applications seem to be developed for agriculture and feed. Nano-encapsulates, silver, titanium dioxide and silica are the most often mentioned nanomaterials in the literature. About half of the identified applications are claimed to be already in use. In-development applications are found for nano-encapsulates and nano-composites in novel foods, food and feed additives, biocides, pesticides and food contact materials.