Encapsulation: A Promising Technology for Future Food Applications, but What Policies Are Countries Following Today?

Abstract

The simple definition of encapsulation is “enclosing something in a capsule”. Encapsulation is applied as micro- and nanotechnology in pharmaceutical and food sciences for varied materials. Moreover, we will see more implementations in the forthcoming years because of the promising nature of this technology. However, the adverse effects of encapsulated tiny materials are unknown, and the health authorities of countries do not follow specific legislations on micro- and nano-encapsulated foods. Indeed, applications of micro- and nanotechnology are observed with different regulations in different countries. For instance, in the USA, there are no regulations for encapsulation studies required by the FDA. Standard food tests are applied for micro and nano food products as well. In the European Union, no strict rules are required by the EFSA for approval requests from authorized institutions regarding the safety of food products utilizing micro- and nanotechnologies [1]. Furthermore, there are no regulations in Argentina, Canada, China, and the Republic of Korea for nanomaterials used in foods. Encapsulated food products are tiny, and the extent of accumulation of materials in the human body is unknown [2]. More importantly, encapsulated foods might create some unpredictable changes in the human body and produce harmful byproducts for the environment as well [3].

Keywords

• micro-encapsulation
• nano-encapsulation
• food regulations
• health authorities
• side effects