Introduction

Abstract

Food nanotechnology is rapidly gaining attention in food science and industrial applications. Aspects related to legislation, general acceptance by the consumers as well as the development of fabrication methods to produce competitive nanofoods represent a challenge that has to be framed within a multi- and interdisciplinary scope. Foods are inherently nanostructured materials constituted by the self-assembly of thousands of compounds in different compartments and states of aggregation including amorphous, crystalline, vitreous, and rubbery which have the natural task in the living organism of inducing multiscale functions that are often onset at the nanolevel. FDA regulations, state that nanofood materials must have at least one dimension in the nanoscale range (1–100 nm), also establish that these products must exhibit properties and phenomena, including physical or chemical properties or biological effects that are attributable to its nanodimension(s). Therefore, particulate systems exhibiting sizes larger than 100 nm but possessing cracks, pores, cavities, etc. in the nanorange, which provide function to the food product such as immobilization of water promoting its preservation as well as of substances such as vitamins and minerals within these structures, are considered in the nanofood field.