Polymer Based Nanomaterials for Strategic Applications in Animal Food Value Chains

ABSTRACT

The major drivers in the development of animal and plant-derived foods are increasing food demand, shifting dietary trends, rising environmental and health concerns, and the need for natural qualities, cost effectiveness, and label friendliness. None-to-less toxic polymeric nanoparticulate systems provide sustainable alternative for the delivery of various bioactive compounds. In the livestock farming stage, nanoscaled polymers have been utilized as delivery systems for antibiotics, Toll-like receptor ligands, pDNA, and exogenous genetic materials. Biodegradability, biocompatibility, cost effectiveness, ease of formulation, and ability to conjugate or load a wide spectrum of payloads (antimicrobials, antioxidants, nutrients, flavors, salt, and fat mimetics) make polymeric nanomaterials promising in all strategies for the development of animal-derived products. Nanomaterials fabricated from Polyaniline, which functions as a semiconductor, can be utilized in the assessment of pathogens in food.

KEYWORDS:

• Polymer
• livestock
• nanoparticles
• value-chain
• food system

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Basic Science Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning [No. 2014M3A7B4051898].