Nanobiotechnology and its Application in Agriculture and Food Production

What is it about?

Nanobiotechnology integrates nanotechnology with biology. Nanobiotechnology is a new, emergent, and interdisciplinary field of research that refers to the use of nanotechnology to modify living organisms to enable the combinations of biological and nonbiological materials. The word “nano” refers to scale between 1 and 100 nm, and the term nanobiotechnology was coined by Lynn W. Jelinski, a biophysicist from Cornell University, USA. Nanobiotechnology inds application in genetic engineering and breeding programs. Variety of materials are used to synthesize nanoparticles (NPs) such as metal oxides, silicates, magnetic materials, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), lipids, polymers, and emulsions. The use of nanobiotechnology is relevant in the current perspective because the widespread use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers has contaminated the environment, is hazardous for human health, and affects the biodiversity. To combat the problem, several nanotechnology-based products such as nanofertilizers, nanoherbicides, nanopesticides, nanosensors, nanofungicides and nanoinsecticides enhanced seed germination, and genetically modiied crops are being developed. Nanotechnology holds great potential to increase global food production and food quality. Important areas of nanotechnology application in the food sector are food processing, food packaging (active, antimicrobial and smart packaging), nanoadditives, nanoencapsulation, nanosensors for contamination detection in food, and controlled release of nutraceuticals.

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Why is it important?

Nanotechnology finds application in various fields of science. This chapter discusses nanobiotechnology application in agriculture to to ensure food security for the vastly growing global human population.