Despite the advantage of ENPs in food packaging, the current experimental data on the migration of ENPs in food packaging are rare. The results of the few studies conducted to date are based on model studies or food simulation estimates. Careful consideration needs to be given to the potential effects of ENPs movement from packaging into food. In particular, the physicochemical characteristics of other components within the food may influence the degree of ENPs migration. There is lack of data on the toxicity evaluation of ENPs which is mainly due to complications in ENP detection in the first place. If ENPs are to have a role in food packaging in the coming years they need to be regulated, and research undertaken to find out if their migration remains at levels
Fig. 7. TEM image demonstrating the migration of nano-silver particles detected from an orange juice sample stored using a nano-silver coated film packaging for 10 days at 40 C and the magnification of the image at 6 nm. Abbreviation: TEM, Transmission electron microscopy.
acceptable for human safety, in addition testing different ENPs in vivo and in vitro is required to progress an understanding of consumer safety.