Nanotechnology sounds all new-fangled and modern. But it is not. According to Jos Miguel Aguilera of Universidad Catlica de Chile, Santiago, nano has been part of food processing for centuries, since many food structures naturally exist at the nano-scale.

And, writes Andre Erasmus, until very recently, most of what has been done with nano-sized food materials has occurred in a largely uncontrolled way, and there is still a lot to be learned about the natural nano-structure of foods (like how foods are constructed and how they break down during digestion).

But modern science is now looking at using nanotechnology more and more.

Small changes in a recipe can make a huge difference. The ingredients, types, amounts, and manners in which they are combinedthey all matter. Even when using the exact same ingredients, the slight differences in processing can produce drastically different results and nanotechnology, say experts, can even determine when and how flavors are released.

But, as nanotechnology grows in importance and usage, so will the regulations concerning how it is used. In the United States, for example, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes nanotechnology as an evolving technology that allows scientists to create, explore, and manipulate materials on a scale measured in nanometers ... that has a broad range of potential applications.

In the UK, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) says it routinely provides advice to industry and food business operators on regulatory aspects relating to novel foods.

This can include foods or ingredients intentionally produced using nanotechnologies that will fall within the scope of the Novel Foods Regulation, says the FAS, Advice can be offered at any stage, from initial ideas and early product development through to near market, and is intended to prevent regulatory hurdles for applicants at later stages of risk assessment and authorization.

So, is nanotechnology the way forward?

At the same workshop of food technology as Aguilera, FransKampers of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, said nanotechnology held tremendous promise to provide benefits not just within food products but also around food products.

In other words, he continued, not only can nanotechnology be used to structure new types of food ingredients, it can also be used to build new types of food packages, food quality detection tools, and other types of measurement and detection systems.

Aguilera is professor in the department of chemical and bioprocess engineering, while Kampers coordinates research on nanotechnology in food, and serves as director of BioNT at Wageningen - one of the largest food and nutrition research organizations in the world, so I would say they know what they are talking about.

Overall, it appears the benefits ofnanotechnology,for the food industry in general and for baking in particular, are many and can only grow with time.

This new, rapidly developing technology will impact all facets of the food system, from cultivation to food production, to processing, packaging, transportation, shelf life and bioavailability of nutrients.

Commercial applications of nanomaterials will continue to impact the food industry because of their unique and novel properties.But public acceptance of food and food-related products which use nanotechnology will depend on their safety and a global framework of regulations governing this seems to be essential.

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