Food and agriculture

Researchers from the Singapore-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Alliance for Research and Technology in Singapore, in collaboration with Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) and MIT, have developed a groundbreaking near-infrared fluorescent nanosensor that can simultaneously detect and differentiate between iron (II) and iron (III) in living plants.

Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed organic-material-based nanozymes – synthetic nanomaterials that have enzyme-like catalytic properties – that are non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and cost effective. To create these nanozymes, the researchers used a novel particle synthesis technique that brought each nanozyme’s size down to less than 100 nanometers. In one study, the researchers showed that these nanozymes, combined with a colorimetric sensing platform, could detect the presence of histamine in spinach and eggplant.

Measuring temperature and humidity in a variety of crop-growing circumstances has prompted the development of numerous sensors, but ensuring these devices are effective while remaining environmentally friendly and cost-effective is a challenge. Now, researchers at Auburn University in Alabama have developed paper-based temperature and humidity sensors that are accurate and reliable, as well as eco-friendly. The researchers created the sensors by printing silver lines on four types of commercially available paper through a process called dry additive nanomanufacturing.

Scientists from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Northwestern University, and the Illinois Institute of Technology have found evidence that silver nanoparticles embedded in packaging used as an antimicrobial agent were able to seep into the dry food the packaging is meant to protect. The scientists created samples of silver nanoparticles and embedded them in polyethylene film wraps, which could hold various types of food items. They tested wheat flour, slices of cheese, ground rice, and spinach leaves.

Researchers from the University of Maryland and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have engineered a seafood-waste material that removes chemical pesticides and herbicides from produce and extends shelf life. The material, made of a derivative of crab and shrimp shells, is designed to form a thin nanocrystal layer on the treated produce, removing chemical residues. The researchers used a smartphone app to check the chemical residue level.

In a review article, scientists from Appalachian State University (Boone, NC), Caltech, Carnegie Mellon University, the Connecticut Agricultural Research Station (New Haven, CT), Cornell University, North Carolina State University, Purdue University, the University of Arkansas, the University of California, Riverside, the University of California San Diego, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Kentucky highlight some of the best-known strategies for improving agriculture with nanotechnology.

Silver nanoparticles are highly sought-after products in the nanotechnology industry because of their antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, electrical, and optical properties. Now, researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Agricultural Research Service and Oklahoma State University have revealed the ability of cotton gin waste – a byproduct from the process that separates fibers from the seeds of cotton – to synthesize and generate silver nanoparticles in the presence of silver ions.

Using a pair of sensors made from carbon nanotubes, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, and the National University of Singapore have discovered signals that reveal when plants are experiencing stresses, such as heat, light, or attack from insects or bacteria. The researchers found that plants produce hydrogen peroxide and salicylic acid (a molecule similar to aspirin) at different timepoints for each type of stress, creating distinctive patterns that could serve as an early warning system.

Researchers from Texas A&M University and the University of California-Riverside have developed a wax coating for fruits and vegetables that combines food-grade wax with a nano-encapsulated cinnamon-bark essential oil in protein carriers to enhance them with antibacterial properties. This technology bolsters the safety of fresh produce and provides enhanced protection against bacteria and fungi. This composite coating provides both immediate and delayed antibacterial effects.

Researchers at Oregon State University are developing cellulose nanofiber-based spray coatings for grapes to protect the plants from wildfire smoke before it reaches their vines. The coating aims to prevent potential off flavors in wines that result from contact with wildfire smoke. Recent smoke events have cost $3 billion in losses to the Pacific Northwest wine industry.