Recent advances in food packaging materials largely rely on nanotechnology structuring. Owing to several unique properties of nanostructures that are lacking in their bulk forms, the incorporation of nanostructures into packaging materials has greatly improved the performance and enriched the functionalities of these materials. This review focuses on the functions and applications of widely studied nanostructures for developing novel food packaging materials. Nanostructures that offer antimicrobial activity, enhance mechanical and barrier properties, and monitor food product freshness are discussed and compared. Furthermore, the safety and potential toxicity of nanostructures in food products are evaluated by summarizing the migration activity of nanostructures to different food systems and discussing the metabolism of nanostructures at the cellular level and in animal models.
Keywords: antimicrobial activity; barrier properties; food packaging; mechanical properties; nanostructures; safety consideration.