Recipient Organization
UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS
(N/A)
AMHERST,MA 01003
Performing Department
Food Science
Non Technical Summary
Nanotechnology is defined by the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) as "...the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100nanometers, where unique phenomena enable applications. Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling and manipulating matter at this length scale"(http://nano.gov/).Facing various challenges in complex food systems, nanotechnology embraces great opportunities to solve these challenges innovatively. Here in this proposal,weaimtodevelopfournanotechnologyenabledsolutionstoimprovefoodquality,safety and nutrition: 1) develop food-grade nanoparticles to enhance the beneficial properties of lipophilic bioactives; 2) investigate the impact of the nanoscale water-lipid interfaces in bulk oil on the oxidation of edible oils; 3) determine the sensory attributes and consumer acceptance of prepared food-grade nanoparticles; 4) develop an innovative detection platform for micro/nano particle contaminants in food. The assembled principal investigators are well suited to perform the proposed studies with the multidisciplinary skills and knowledge required to conduct these researches. The research findings will be delivered to educational, industrial, and governmental audience through reports, dissertations, papers, conference presentations, and patents. Ourproject willsignificantlyenhancethequality,safetyandnutritionaspectsofourfood,thustoimprovethe long-range sustainability of U.S. agriculture and foodsystems.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The goal of this proposal is to develop four nanotechnology enabled solutions to improve food quality, safety and nutrition.Specific objectives:Objective 1: Fabrication, characterization, and utilization of functional food-grade nanoparticles (PD: David Julian McClements)Objective 2: Association colloids as lipid oxidation nanoreactors (co-PD: Eric Decker)Objective 3: Quantify sensory attributes and consumer acceptance for functional food-grade nanoparticles (co-PD: Alissa Nolden)Objective 4: Development of Raman and surface enhanced Raman scattering methods for micro/nano particle contaminant detection in food (co-PD: Lili He)
Project Methods
Objective 1: Fabrication, characterization, and utilization of functional food-grade nanoparticles1. Preparation of Food-GradeNanoparticles- A variety of different methods will be investigated for their ability to create food-grade nanoparticles with different characteristics: size, shape, charge, composition, and digestibility.2. Analysis of Food-GradeNanoparticles- Thephysicochemicalpropertiesofthenanoparticleswillbecharacterizedusingarangeof different analytical methods, including dynamic light scattering, zeta-potential analysis, vertical laser scanning, and microscopy.3. Functional Performance of Food-GradeNanoparticles- Food-grade nanoparticles will be fabricated and tested for their suitability for a variety of different applications:Encapsulation and Protection of Bioactive Agents in Foods; Controlling Bioavailability of Bioactive Agents in Foods.Objective 2: Association colloids as lipid oxidation nanoreactors 1. Sample preparation1. Sample preparation- In all experiments, stripped oil will be utilized so the oil will not contain polar lipids or antioxidants. Stripped soybean oil (SSO). Lipid hydroperoxides will be measured as primary oxidation products and hexanal as a secondaryoxidationproduct using standard methods. Tocopherol and phospholipid concentrations will be determined byHPLC.2. Determine the ability of phospholipase D to increase PE or PS inlecithin- Phospholipase D can convert PC to PS in the presence of ethanolamine by transphosphatidylation. Foods such as cabbage family, soybeans and poppy seeds naturally contain phospholipase D. In these experiments we will determine if natural extracts are effective and we will evaluate the optimum activity conditions (pH, temperature, cofactors, ionic strength).Different sources of lecithin will also be tested focusing on those with high PC content.3. DetermineifthehighPEorPSlecithinscanincreasetheactivityoftocopherolsinoil-in-water emulsions, low moisture foods, meats and bulkoils- Emulsions,bulkoils, crackers, and ground pork willbe tested.Lecithins will be added to the foods at ranges from 100-2000 µmol/kgproduct. Productswillbestorage(4-55C)and pro- and antioxidant effects measured. Lipid oxidation will be determinedby monitoring lipid hydroperoxides and hexanal. Effectiveness of the antioxidant treatment will be determined by their ability to extend the lag phase of hydroperoxide and hexanal formation. We will also determineifPEorPS-aldehydescomplexesareresponsiblefortocopherolregeneration.Objective3:Quantifysensoryattributesandconsumeracceptanceforfunctionalfood-grade nanoparticles1 Define sensory attributes and consumer acceptance of nanoparticles.- Ingredients will be first prepared in liquid formulations (water) at different particle sizes and at different concentrations. These nano-ingredients will be compared with their respective ingredients at different concentrations (i.e., dose response curve). This will allow for direct comparison to determine relative taste intensity to the control (i.e., sucrose and NaCl). Participants will be recruited to sample prepared stimuli. Participants will report their perceptions of the stimuli using modern sensory methods, (e.g., general Label Magnitude Scale). The results will help to determine at what concentration and at what particle size can be used to replace NaCl or sucrose in a product at equivalent taste responses. Following theconclusion of this experiment, the same approach will be conducted in other delivery methods (i.e., coatings) to determine replacement for different application methods.2.Elucidatetheabilityofnanoparticlestoreplacesucroseandsaltinfoodsandbeverages. - Feasibility of nano ingredients to replace ingredients in foods and beverageswillbe determined. Products will be prepared using nano particles and their corresponding ingredients. Targeted products for testing acceptance of nanoNaCl will be bread, pretzels, and oatmeal, while acceptance of nano sucrose will be graham cracker, oatmeal,and Kool Aid. Nanocrystals will be formed by antisolvent precipitation or colloidal-templating methods.Consumerperceptions willbemeasuredusing9-pointhedonic scale to determine overall liking and acceptance and the just-about-right scale to assess saltines of the products. If products perform well, the next step will be to conduct a triangle test to determine if consumers can identify adifference between control and nano formulated testproducts.Objective 4: Development of Raman and surface-enhanced Raman scattering methods for studying micro/nano particle contaminants in food1. Examination of Micro/nano plastics of Different Types, Sizes andOrigins. Once we have identified the most effective membrane filter for analyzing polystyrene, we will test a number of other types of plastic with our Raman mapping method. We will test commercially available engineered micro/nano plastics from a variety of common polymers, such as polyethylene (PE, high and low density), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS, including expanded PS or EPS), polyurethane (PUR), and polyethylene terephthalate(PET). We will simulate thenatural breakdown of plastics to test naturally occurring micro/nano plastic samples, which have a wide range of shapes and sizes. Plastic fragments will be analyzed using filter mapping.2. Establishment of Protocols for Screening Micro/Nano plastics from FoodMatrices. - We will further develop the method to extract and detect micro/nano plastics in a variety of food matrices, including apple juice, salt, mussels, potato which presenting liquid food, powder food, seafood, earth plants.3. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticle detection infoodDevelopment and evaluation of a ligand-assisted microextraction for TiO2particles. In thisstudy,we will investigate different ligands for their ability to extract TiO2 of different sizes (20,100,and1000nm). Therecoverywillbedeterminedusinginductivelycoupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).Establishment of standard curves for quantifying total and nanoscaleTiO2. The amount ofTiO2can be quantified based on the intrinsic Raman peaks of the two particles using standard curves.Screening for TiO2NPs in commercial baby foodproducts - We will apply developed methods to screen TiO2NPs in commercial baby foodproducts (liquid and powder formula, fortified baby cereals). ICP-MS and TEM coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) will be used as validation methods.