Recent Advances In Nano-Technology In Domain Of Agricultural Sciences And Food Industry

Nanotechnology is a new approach to the development of new tools in order to make the leap in agriculture and food industry for diagnose and treat diseases, increase the ability of plants to absorb nutrients, fight pests and... [ view full abstract ]

Nanotechnology is a new approach to the development of new tools in order to make the leap in agriculture and food industry for diagnose and treat diseases, increase the ability of plants to absorb nutrients, fight pests and microbial sources, increase bio fertilizer efficiency, reduce pollution and removed contaminants. Controlled environmental (Precision) agriculture / (CEA) can properly strengthen itself through Nano-technology by using Nano-devices, and Nano-sensors, improve the ability of the time-dependent Harvesting which would increase production and reduce chemical pesticides and pests.
The most obvious application of nanotechnology in agricultural sciences, is use of Nano tools to supply pesticides and fertilizer for agricultural products. Controlled release of intended chemical substance, both in terms of time and location or even release after operation of a primer under certain conditions , has made this method very interesting for future development. The main challenges : (1) stabilizing underground conditions & (2) releasing ability of loaded substances in intended soil into or around the plants. This Nano-materials, from chemical point of view, can be classified into three main groups : (1) organic polymers, (2) inorganic compounds or polymers, and (3) compounds and composites, that can consist of materials of both preceding mentioned groups. Structures including Nano-capsules, Fullerenes and carbon Nano-tubes, and inorganic natural clay are some of promising alternatives.
Nanotechnology can play an effective role in food storage in three ways:
(1) Antimicrobial and Antiseptic surfaces
(2) Antioxidant protection
(3) Manipulation and control of enzymes’ activities
The application of nanotechnology in food production on the one hand in agriculture industry and in the other hand in inventing new methods for food production, which no longer depend on natural conditions, can be considered significantly important. Generally as follow:
(1) Analysis and identification
(2) GM food production as carriers
(3) Pesticide/ drugs production and transportation
(4) Food synthesis and production
Biosensor is a detection device, containing a biological identifier part, and a transformer to convert the biological messages to electronic outputs. The prominent role of these devices has been shown in the Figure 1. This paper will review potential applications of Nanotechnology in these areas.