Nanoparticles in Your Food
B. McPherson Are you ingesting nanoparticles with your tasty lunch? What the heck is a nanoparticle? It’s something that is definitely smaller than a bread box. What the heck is a bread box? Never mind, it was in use when food was food. Back to the subject – a nanoparticle is a piece of matter that is smaller than one billionth of a metre(about 39 inches) across. Nanoparticles occur naturally. They are present in wood smoke and industrial by-products. Now clever researchers have found ways to produce nanoparticles tailored to do specific jobs. Some of the jobs these tiny bits of matter do involve the cosmetic and food industries. This is a new and exciting branch of science. When substances are reduced to a few molecules, they behave differently that when they are a more substantial size. Uses for this new area are being found almost daily. One of the areas with much potential is the food industry. The American Food and Drug Agency(FDA) is aware of the possible rami...