Yum Yum Nano Foods for your future

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Just when we think we have heard enough nonsense with all the enhanced GM foods out there, here is an article from the Guardian 2006 which discusses the future of nano enhanced foods. Although already convinced that most food corporations are not interested in anything more than the bottom line, this article absolutely makes me realize that more and more food is being changed beyond recognition and it is not mainly for the benefit of the consumer:

Welcome to the world of nano foods | Compare and buy | The Observer

Here is an even more detailed article, with some excerpts:

Nano-foods: future or fiction? - Elsevier Food International

"What are the prospects for nanotechnology in food, apart from packaging materials? “Either you work with nanotechnology and nano-bio-information and keep leadership, or you are out,” is the tone of voice of a 2003 study by Helmut Kaiser Consultancy. In "'Nanotechnology in Food and Food Processing' companies are urged to get on the nano-train before it has passed by and are warned at the same time for the disruptiveness of molecular technologies. Nanotechnology may change conventional production systems faster than most scientists expect, the report states. It can make products cheaper, production more efficient, safer and more sustainable using less water and chemicals with savings up to 40 or 60 per cent by 2015."

A bit further into this article and my reaction is oh, boy, oh boy, they actually admitted all this? This does sound as if it may apply to us:

"Molecular robotics

The consultancy company estimates that more than 200 companies around the world are today active in research and development. Most of them can be found in the US followed by Japan and China. Not surprisingly Asia with more than 50 per cent of the world population will be the biggest market for nano-food by 2010 with China getting the biggest part of the pudding. By then several thousands of R&D-companies could be exploring nano-foods.

It is important, however, to notice that breakthroughs in nanotechnology highly depend on progress in the field of genetic and bio-molecular research. Understanding the genetic puzzle behind crops enables industries to decode and analyse DNA-information. The next step will be to predict, control and improve the agricultural production. Consequently, the combination of DNA-techniques and nanotechnology may offer opportunities. What to think of new nutrition-delivery systems using molecular robotics? These so-called nanoscale transportation vehicles could carry active agents, namely those that resulted from DNA-controlled crop production, more precisely and efficiently to the human cells and parts where they are required. Compounds like drugs, nutrients, flavours, probiotics and nutraceuticals could be delivered in this way. Agents for quality assurance and tracking could be incorporated, as well as special compounds for pathogen and contamination detection and elimination. The latter could be applied in combination with biosensors made up of bioselective surfaces.

On the processing side, nanotechnology may bring the manipulation of food molecules and atoms closer. This would provide the future food industry with a powerful method to design food with much more capability and precision, at lower costs and in a more sustainable way. One example: Emulsifying 'impossible' mixtures by changing the properties of contact surfaces in oil/water mixtures. Another illustration of bottom-up design are self-assembling gel fibres. This patented application by nanotech research company Biomade describes the entrapment of small molecules in a network of gelator molecules and gel fibres. In this way specific ingredients could be incorporated in the food structure; sensational foods made possible by a sensational technology.”

Yes, the paragraph above seems definitely sensational. Not that food and Low Molecular Weight Gelators are specifically mentioned in this information from the Biomade company's site:

From the Biomade website:

BioMaDe

"Low Molecular Weight Gelators

The need

The development of applications in areas as diverse as in vitro toxicology or drug metabolism testing, bioartificial organs, and tissue repair is largely dependent on the ability to engineer functional tissue in vitro. Unfortunately, in monolayer culture most cells rapidly lose their tissue-specific functions. In Nature, the function of mammalian cells in tissues and organs is preserved by the interplay between the cells and their surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). This complex three-dimensional network of nanofibers supports cells and guides their behavior through mechanical and biological clues. Nanotechnology brings the detailed level of control over the macro- to the nanostructure displayed in nature within reach for synthetic systems.

Biomade's solution

Our approach to biomimetic, gel-like, nanofibrous scaffolds is anchored in our proprietary Low Molecular Weight Gelator technology, which provides matrices that are morphologically very similar to the natural ECM. Additionally, our proven self-assembling platform addresses important other aspects of the ECM, such as strong physical support, a highly dynamic character, built-in response to physiologically relevant triggers, ability for post-modification, and triggered delivery schemes for substances of interest. The modular design of our platform allows engineering in of other desirable properties.

The status

Benefiting from our in house expertise in peptide display (protein anchor) and modification (therapeutic peptides), and together with strategic partners, we are currently developing innovative solutions for three-dimensional cell culture."

Another article and a mention of the Biomade company is in this one:

Nanotech food under discussion in Amsterdam

Some research involving low molecular weight gels and films:

Preparation and gas sensing properties of novel CdS-supramolecular organogel hybrid films

Short overview of nano foods and nano wrappers:

Whitley Strieber's Unknown Country

Another longer article to make easier to understand nano foods and the issues surrounding them:

http://nano.foe.org.au/node/198

Lots of short articles about nanotechnology and how it may be effecting foods and packaging:

Nano Food, Nanotechnology in Food,Nano Index, Nano Stocks,Nano Euro Fund,Nanotechnology mutual fund,Nanotecnologia,Nanotechnologie,Nano Forschung,Nanotechnology,Nano,Nanotech,Carbon NanoTubes,Nanotechnologie News, Future Technology, MEM, MNT, SmartDu

This may help keep you from being tempted by those fast food french fries as well as their other selections of fried foods:

Nano Tsunami.com - Nano Food

Call for research into effects of consuming nano-sized food

http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/6248/Call_for_research_into_effects_of_consuming_nano-sized_food.html

http://www.forbes.com/newsletters/2005/08/09/nanotechnology-kraft-hershey-cz_jw_0810soapbox_inl.html?partner=rss

Safer And Guilt-Free Nano Foods (2005 Forbes)


All is food for thought here.