June 15/New Orleans/Newswise -- Food scientists are hoping to utilize nanotechnology to improve food nutrition, quality, safety and taste, according to panelists at the Institute of Food Technologists' 2011 Annual Meeting & Food Expo.
Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of miniscule atoms and molecules called nanoparticles. A nanoparticle is between 1 and 1,000 nanometers; a single nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. The science is currently being used in engineering, manufacturing, medicine, and most notably, in the delivery of cancer fighting drugs to hard-to-reach tumors.