Are Nanofoods Sustainable?

Imagine ice cream that fills you up after only a few bites. Or low-fat mayonnaise that carries the same rich, creamy taste as the full-fat stuff. Or maybe a candy bar that packs a chocolate-y punch without a heavy sugar load. Too good to be true? Perhaps—but scientists are working on it.

According to New Scientist, several researchers are attempting to alter foods at the nanoscale level, changing items' teeny tiny molecular structures to enhance certain properties. In other words, monkeying around with molecules to make spices spicier, chips healthier, and diet foods that taste like full-calorie snacks. Scientists hope nanotechnology can even be used to boost intake of vitamins and minerals and help combat malnutrition.

As somewhat of a science nerd, I'll admit that it's fascinating stuff. For example, in traditional diet foods like low-fat mayonnaise, about half of the oil is replaced with water, which is why the skinny mayo doesn't taste as creamy and delicious as fatty mayo. By using nanotechnology, scientists can actually stick that water within individual droplets of the remaining oil. Because oil will hit the tongue first, the diet condiment tastes like the original spread. By that same principle, researchers could use nanotech to "hide" nutritional elements like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals in foods that typically don't contain them. Using other nanotech processes, researchers can even build foods from the ground up. According to New Scientist, scientists at Wageningen University and Research Centre started with only milk protein and eventually created a meat-like structure. Scaling that process up to produce actual foods from nanoscale particles is a long way off, but could have huge implications for solving world hunger.

Currently, none of the products on grocery store shelves are nanofood, but Unilever admits its looking into the field. While food companies are notoriously tight-lipped, you can bet other major manufacturers are researching the topic, too.

The field is certainly fascinating from a science perspective. But being a food purist, nanotech also sets my "scary Franken-food" alarm off. I wonder if nanofood can be sustainable, and more importantly, safe.

Let's start with the safety part. Technically speaking, food producers have been altering foods at the nanoscale for years. Just adding emulsifiers to ice cream to give it a smoother texture changes nanostructures. But with new imaging technology, scientists can get alterations down to, well, a science. The field is so new and diverse that not much research has gone into the safety of it all. But nanotech endeavors using particles that don't break down in the body, like nanosilver and silica, have raised concerns among some food researchers.

As for whether nanofoods could be sustainable, my general rule for finding healthy, environmentally friendly food is "The less messed with, the better." When we're talking about diet products, nanofoods do seem silly. If people want to eat ice cream, there are some supremely tasty organic brands—if you don't want to gain weight, then get your tuckus on a treadmill. But nanotech can also boost vitamin and mineral levels in foods, or even literally build food to give to the malnourished. Plus, it can extend the shelf life of items, which could reduce waste. Considering these food security and global public health benefits, I can't with good conscience dismiss nanotech goods as mere Franken-foods.

The field is certainly controversial, and more research into nanofoods' safety and environmental impacts needs to be done to give consumers a clearer picture. What do you think, readers? Are nanofoods a pathway to ensuring food security? Or a road paved with bad intentions?

Photo Credit: 123dan321 via stock.xchng