At a Nano4food conference this past week in Wageningen, The Netherlands, food scientists, material scientists and nanotechnicians met to discuss the future of the technology. Presentations ranged from how the technology is being used to improve the consistency of yogurt or cheese, to packaging technologies, and even how to "wall off" the most nutritional components of food in favor of tastier alternatives.
Mixing science with food generally conjures up images of so-called "Frankenfood," or genetically altered fruits and vegetables. Instead, food scientists avoided genetics altogether, discussing nanotechnology in the context of food preparation while viewing ingredients like milk as their own finished recipes of proteins and other substances. In many cases, presenters said, nanotechnology represents the shrinking of existing technologies, either on the "macro" or already-miniaturized "micro" level, to even smaller geometries.
Read the full story: Better Eating Through Nanotech.