Nanobiotechnological advancements in agriculture and food industry: Applications, nanotoxicity, and future perspectives.

Sameh S Ali, Rania Al-Tohamy, Eleni Koutra, Mohamed S Moawad, Michael Kornaros, Ahmed M Mustafa, Yehia A-G Mahmoud, Abdelfattah Badr, Mohamed E H Osman, Tamer Elsamahy, Haixin Jiao, Jianzhong Sun

Journal: The Science of the total environment 2021;792():148359

PMID: 34147795

Full Text on Elsevier Science View on PubMed

Abstract

The high demand for sufficient and safe food, and continuous damage of environment by conventional agriculture are major challenges facing the globe. The necessity of smart alternatives and more sustainable practices in food production is crucial to confront the steady increase in human population and careless depletion of global resources. Nanotechnology implementation in agriculture offers smart delivery systems of nutrients, pesticides, and genetic materials for enhanced soil fertility and protection, along with improved traits for better stress tolerance. Additionally, nano-based sensors are the ideal approach towards precision farming for monitoring all factors that impact on agricultural productivity. Furthermore, nanotechnology can play a significant role in post-harvest food processing and packaging to reduce food contamination and wastage. In this review, nanotechnology applications in the agriculture and food sector are reviewed. Implementations of nanotechnology in agriculture have included nano- remediation of wastewater for land irrigation, nanofertilizers, nanopesticides, and nanosensors, while the beneficial effects of nanomaterials (NMs) in promoting genetic traits, germination, and stress tolerance of plants are discussed. Furthermore, the article highlights the efficiency of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanozymes in food processing and packaging. To this end, the potential risks and impacts of NMs on soil, plants, and human tissues and organs are emphasized in order to unravel the complex bio-nano interactions. Finally, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of nanotechnology are evaluated and discussed to provide a broad and clear view of the nanotechnology potentials, as well as future directions for nano-based agri-food applications towards sustainability.

Address: Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China; Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.; Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.; Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering & Environmental Technology (LBEET), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, 1 Karatheodori Str., University Campus, 26504 Patras, Greece; INVALOR: Research Infrastructure for Waste Valorization and Sustainable Management, University Campus, 26504 Patras, Greece.; Department of Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza 12211, Egypt; Nanoscience Program, Zewail City of Science and Technology, 6th of October, Giza 12588, Egypt.; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resourses Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt.; Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.; Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Ain Helwan, Cairo, Egypt.; Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148359

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MeSH Terms: Agriculture, Food Industry, Humans, Nanostructures, Nanotechnology, Pesticides