Bhardwaj Sanjeev K, Deep Akash, Bhardwaj Neha, Wangoo Nishima
Department of Applied Sciences, University Institute of Engineering Technology (UIET), Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
Energy and Environment unit, Institute of Nanoscience and Technology, Mohali, India.
Analyst. 2023 Oct 23;148(21):5322-5339. doi: 10.1039/d3an01317k.
Food additives have become a critical component in the food industry. They are employed as preservatives to decelerate the negative effects of environmental and microbial factors on food quality. Currently, food additives are used for a variety of purposes, including colorants, flavor enhancers, nutritional supplements, ., owing to improvements in the food industry. Since the usage of food additives has increased dramatically, the efficient monitoring of their acceptable levels in food products is quite necessary to mitigate the problems associated with their inappropriate use. The traditional methods used for detecting food additives are generally based on standard spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. However, these analytical techniques are limited by their high instrumentation cost and time-consuming procedures. The emerging field of nanotechnology has enabled the development of highly sensitive and specific sensors to analyze food additives in a rapid manner. The current article emphasizes the need to detect various food additives owing to their potential negative effects on humans, animals, and the environment. In this article, the role of nanomaterials in the optical sensing of food additives has been discussed owing to their high accuracy, ease-of-use, and excellent sensitivity. The applications of nanosensors for the detection of various food additives have been elaborated with examples. The current article will assist policymakers in developing new rules and regulations to mitigate the adverse effects of toxic food additives on humans and the environment. In addition, the prospects of nanosensors for the optical detection of food additives at a commercial scale have been discussed to combat their irrational use in the food industry.
食品添加剂已成为食品工业中的关键组成部分。它们被用作防腐剂，以减缓环境和微生物因素对食品质量的负面影响。目前，由于食品工业的发展，食品添加剂被用于多种目的，包括色素、增味剂、营养补充剂等。由于食品添加剂的使用量急剧增加，有效监测其在食品中的可接受水平对于减轻与不当使用相关的问题非常必要。用于检测食品添加剂的传统方法通常基于标准光谱和色谱技术。然而，这些分析技术受到仪器成本高和程序耗时的限制。纳米技术这一新兴领域已促使开发出高灵敏度和特异性的传感器，能够快速分析食品添加剂。本文强调了检测各种食品添加剂的必要性，因为它们可能对人类、动物和环境产生负面影响。在本文中，由于纳米材料具有高精度、易用性和出色的灵敏度，因此讨论了它们在食品添加剂光学传感中的作用。文中通过实例阐述了纳米传感器在检测各种食品添加剂方面的应用。本文将协助政策制定者制定新的规则和法规，以减轻有毒食品添加剂对人类和环境的不利影响。此外，还讨论了纳米传感器在商业规模上光学检测食品添加剂的前景，以应对其在食品工业中的不合理使用。
