BRIEFING No.

28

ObservatoryNANO Briefing March 2012

AGRIFOOD
Sensors in Food Production & Processing

With a world population expected to reach 9.3 billion by 2050 1 there is an ever increasing demand for
more efficient food production. The agricultural industry must also reduce its environmental impact
while facing the many challenges of a changing climate, such as increased water stress and new pests.
Food safety and quality control is a major issue in food processing, and food borne illnesses remain a
major public health concern; in 2009 there were 5550 reported food borne outbreaks in the EU2.
Existing sensor technologies provide important information to farmers concerning environmental conditions, plant and animal health, and growth parameters allowing for remedial action. In food processing
sensors detect contaminants including biologicals and chemicals which would impact on human health.
Nanotechnologies offer the potential for increasingly sensitive sensors with reduced time to results,
which can be used on-the-spot, and do not require high levels of technical expertise. This BRIEFING outlines challenges to be addressed, describes a selection of promising nanotechnologies which offer improvements over current technologies, provides a view on research and industrial activity within this
sector in the EU, and looks at some of the issues being faced in the development of these technologies.

The Challenge
To feed the growing world population while reducing the environmental impact of food production
the following requirements must be addressed:

Closer monitoring of environmental conditions, plant and animal health, and growth
for optimal output and efficient use of resources (pest identification has been identified as a particular need which cannot be
achieved with current technologies3);

Precision farming leading to more targeted

and earlier intervention to increase productivity and reduce the requirement for agrochemicals (fertilisers, pesticides, and antibiotics); and

Accurate measurement of the environmental impact of the agricultural process,

particularly in terms of pesticide and fertiliser levels in soil and run off.
In the food processing industry it is vital to detect
the presence of agro-chemicals, other chemical
contaminants (such as heavy metals), and pathogens that lead to food borne illnesses including
salmonella, listeria, and campolybacter. In addition, measurement of food quality is also required
in terms of colour, smell, taste and mouth feel.

How can nanotechnologies help?

Current sensor technologies are able to measure
all required variables; however, they may lack sensitivity, rapidity of detection, portability or a combination of these factors. The much increased surface area of nanomaterials allows for a greater
number of molecular interactions and therefore
potentially much higher sensitivity and faster detection times.
With current technologies, in general, an individual

has to collect a physical sample, which is analysed

at a different location (usually a central laboratory). This requires technical expertise, is labourintensive and can take a number of days, by which
time the opportunity for optimal intervention
could be missed (for example, the industry standard for chemical detection is gas or liquid chromatography followed by mass spectrometry).
Nano-enabled sensor developments may allow for
portable or in-situ continuous monitoring, leading
to farmer led intervention for improved outcomes
including increased and better quality and yields of
food. Additionally the potential reduction in use of
agro-chemicals will reduce the environmental impact.
For food quality control, nanotechnology applications again offer greater sensitivity and real-time
(on the spot) detection, with smaller samples being required. This would lead to more effective
detection of contaminants that lead to food borne
Box 1: Sniffing out quality
In the past, manufacturers used highly trained individuals to measure quality of foodstuffs; however, this is
obviously not suitable in the modern high volume food
processing industry! One answer is to use an electronic
nose or electronic tongue.
FP7 project Bioelectronic Olfactory Neuron Device
(BOND) is developing a new kind of bioelectronic nose,
based on olfactory receptors, which mimic the way an
animals nose detects odour. It is hoped that the resultant sensor will have extremely high sensitivity and selectivity for detecting very small quantities of odorants.
Together with a real time response, low expertise requirement, portability and affordability of the system
compared with existing biosensors, the capabilities required by end users such as the food processing industry
will be met5.

AGRIFOOD: Sensors in Food Production & Processing

ObservatoryNANO Briefing March 2012

outbreaks or other harm to human health, and

additionally could determine whether food is still
safe to eat even after it has reached its expiry date,
thus reducing waste.
The nano way
The field of nano-enabled sensors is largely driven
by their application in the medical sector; however, a variety of nano-enabled sensor technologies show potential for use in food production and
processing. Both are summarised in Table 1.
Biosensors, such as uni-molecular sensors or bioarrays, utilise biomolecules to detect targets such as
pesticides or gases relevant to agricultural growth.
Nanotechnology impacts on these technologies by
improving sensitivity (due to a greater surface
area), increased miniaturisation, and faster detection rates. Array technologies can detect multiple
target substances and can be used at different
stages of the food chain. Examples are 1. detecting
the presence of pathogens in livestock or crops; 2.
measuring the levels of toxins or nutrients in soils;
and 3. monitoring the quality of processed food
(Box 1).

Impacts
Economic/Industry
The biosensor market has been historically driven
by medical biosensors rather than applications in
food production and processing. The food market,
although very large, has, in general, low profit margins and there is huge competition. Consequently,
the food industry cannot afford to invest in modern analytical methods at the same level as other
hi-tech sectors such as clinical or pharmaceutical
areas. Additionally the application of biosensors in
the food industry still has to compete with other
analytical methods in terms of cost, performance,
and reliability.
Market analysts have estimated that the global

revenue for the biosensors market will continue to

exhibit strong growth and will exceed the 10 billion mark in the next seven years6 (Figure 1). These
revenues are estimated to grow at a CAGR
(compound annual growth rate) of 11.5% from
2009 to 2016. Annual revenue growth rates are
likely to be in the region of 12 to 14% by 2016.
Biosensors have been recently used in more than
47 different end-user applications in contrast to
just over 32 applications seven years ago. This
growth in end-user applications and expansion into
other markets is strongly aided by innovations
within the biosensor market.
As to the application of sensors in food industry,
the strongest growth potential has been suggested
for intelligent packaging with radio frequency identification data tags (RFIDs). This category is expected to grow at almost 19 % annually by 20147.
Some companies active in the field include Israeli
MS Tech whose sensors utilising High-Frequency
Quartz Crystal Microbalance (HF-QCM) detection
method (Electronic nose/tongue). Sensors using
the HF-QCM detection method can also be recalled
as "Electronic-Nose" and "Electronic-Tongue". Attophotonics, an Austrian company, is a producer of
smart humidity indicators (SHIs), with the next
generation products based on nanostructural
changes, for use in food quality monitoring. In
terms of agricultural sensors Syngenta, formed in
2000 from the merger of AstraZeneca and Novartis
crop science businesses, has invested in the Sygenta Sensor University Innovation Centre at the
University of Manchester in the UK. Here new
sensing technologies are being investigated for use
in the agricultural sector.
Societal/Impact on European Citizen
Nano-enabled sensors in food production and
processing offer a number of benefits to the EU
citizen including:

Technology

Description

Target

Uni-molecular sensors

Single biomolecule enclosed or attached to nanomaterials

(liposomes, nanoparticles, nanorods, or carbon nanotubes).

Pesticides, gases such as CO2.

Bioarrays (including electronic noses/tongues)

Multiple biomolecules enclosed or attached to nanostructured

materials.

Multiple chemicals & microbes.

Solid state sensors

Thin film or nanowire (carbon nanotube, silicon, metal oxide,

metal alloy or conducting polymer) sensors.

Gases.

Optical & spectrographic

sensors

CCD, lasers and spectrometers.

Plant growth, presence of different

chemicals.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags

Sensor networks

Monitoring of produce condition

during transit.
Individual sensor nodes that can be dispersed over an area,
measure local variables, and report to a central processing unit.

All aspects of crop and livestock

monitoring for precision farming.

Table 1: Examples of nano-enabled sensor technologies relevant to food production and processing (adapted from 4 )

AGRIFOOD: Sensors in Food Production & Processing

ObservatoryNANO Briefing March 2012

Increased food production ensuring food

security and reduced food inflation;
Reduced use of agrochemicals reducing the
environmental impact of and ultimately human exposure to the agricultural industry;
Improved livestock monitoring limiting the
threat of disease and allowing more effective control (e.g. limited use of veterinary
medicines).

Improved monitoring of growth conditions for

crops will optimize and reduce the use of nitraterich fertilisers (which are a major source of water
pollution in the EU, and at high concentrations are
harmful to both the environment and humans8).
Increasingly, sensitive sensors in the food processing industry will have important implications in
terms of protecting the general public from food
borne pathogens and other contaminants that can
lead to illness and death. They can also offer the
prospect of superior food quality in terms of taste,
smell, appearance and mouth feel.
In packaging they can improve consumer confidence in the condition of food, leading to less
waste.

EU Competitive Position
The biosensors market as a whole is highly competitive but as previously mentioned this is driven
by the medical and pharmaceutical sector. However, there are a number of European initiatives
relevant to the use of sensors in food production
and processing. The University of Manchesters
School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering has
launched the e-Agri research cluster to integrate
advanced research in ICT, sensing, electronics, control and power systems to help enable a new future for global agriculture and food security; this is
in response to current efforts being seen as biocentric.
In the field of RFID technology European efforts
include the RACE networkRFlD, an EU project
which has been established to position the EU as a

Figure 1: Global revenue forecast for the biosensors market

until 2016 (with baseline year as 2009).

world leader in RFID. Also, the platform developed

through the LOTUS EU project reinforces the leading position of European Industry in flexible RFIDs.
The technologies and materials generated through
this project enables the EU to be competitive with
Asia and North America and provides new technologies to address societal needs. The overall
strategy addresses both common needs and the
specific requirements of any flexible electronics
and food protection or food freshness applications.

Challenges
Technological
Many nano-enabled sensor technologies remain at
an early stage of development and therefore have
a number of technological challenges to be addressed. One of the key issues is the stability and
longevity of the sensing biomolecule under conditions in the field, for example, how it is affected by
temperature ranges, presence of other chemicals
and particulates. Other aspects of the sensor such
as signal conduction and processing also require
improvement. For example, conductive polymer
nanowires are mechanically weak and likely to
break easily9.
Ethical & Societal Concerns
The involvement of nanotechnologies at any stage
of the food chain is sensitive and raises concerns
among the general public and some NGOs, particularly with regard to environment, health and safety
implications (see below). However, as nanoenabled sensors will not be consumed they are
expected to meet less consumer resistance than
some other nano-enabled developments for the
Agrifood sector. RFID tags in particular raise privacy issues, e.g. for cattle owners or for consumers10. Biosensors used for livestock disease control could be ethically preferable to other methods
such as large scale vaccinations or eradicating diseases by culling animals11.
Environment, Health & Safety
According to the exposure analysis conducted by
the ObservatoryNANO12, solid state sensors for gas
measurement near crops have low exposure potential for the user (farmer) or consumer. In addition, the variety of sensors utilised during food
processing have been deemed to have a low exposure potential for both professional user and consumer.
At the disposal stage, the environment may be exposed when applications containing nanosensors
are incinerated (air), landfilled (soil), or released
from the sewage treatment plant (water). Both soil
and water may be exposed through litter (e.g. discharge from food packages).

ObservatoryNANO Briefing March 2012

AGRIFOOD: Sensors in Food Production & Processing

Regulations & Standards

There are general regulations and standards challenges facing all nanotechnology developments
and these have been assessed within the ObservatoryNANO13. Focusing on the Agrifood sector, the
European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) was
asked by the EC to provide a scientific opinion on
the potential risks of application of nanoscience
and nanotechnologies (particularly engineered
nanomaterials) in the food and feed (animal food)
chain. The EFSA Scientific Committee concluded
that current international regulations for risk assessment may be applied but a case-by-case approach should be adopted due to the current limitations in the risk assessment of nanomaterials
and the associated uncertainty14.
Recommendations
Any successful application of nanotechnology in
the food production and food processing industry
requires the combined effort of academia, industry, NGOs, general public and public policy-makers
to understand the fundamental knowledge of
nanospecific features and establish the benefit-risk
balance. According to the recommendations of
JRC-EASAC Working Group15 a more effective
translation of this knowledge into best practice
and final product, will require closer collaboration
between primary producers, downstream users
and consumers. This is consistent with multisectoral and safety research as an essential part of
the innovation of food production and processing
directed by nano-enabled sensors.

Figure 2: Technology readiness levels for selected sensor

technologies in food production and processing

Summary

With a rapidly growing world population

there is a pressing need to improve the productivity and reduce the impact of the agricultural industry on people and the environment.
Nano-enabled sensors may allow for greater
sensitivity than conventional sensors and
potential for on-site, continuous, untrained
analysis allowing for precision farming.
Considerable technological challenges remain to be addressed before nano-enabled
sensors are commercialised and effectively
compete with existing technologies.
The use of nano-enabled developments
within the food chain is a sensitive issue in
terms of public acceptance and this, together with potential exposure of man and
the environment and lack of specific regulation, represents a significant barrier to full
scale commercialisation.

Contact information
Technical: Mark Morrison, Institute of Nanotechnology, mark.morrison@nano.org.uk
Economic: Gabriela Salejova, Czech Liaison Office
for R&D, TCASCR, salejova@tc.cz

References
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http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Other-Information
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2
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uuid=b2d9d533-0c95-4283-8be7-44b9153f305a&groupId=3460325
4
http://www.observatorynano.eu/project/filesystem/files/Full%
20Report%20Nanotechnology%20in%20Agrifood%20May%
202009.pdf
5
http://bondproject.org/
6
Thusu, R. Strong Growth Predicted for Biosensors Market, 2010,
Frost & Sullivan Sensors.
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Nano-Enabled Packaging for the Food and Beverage Industry - A
Global Technology, Industry and Market Analysis. 2009, iRAP, Inc.,
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http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?
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http://www.engr.ucr.edu/~myung/Publications/ja031.pdf
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David, K. & Thompson, P.B., (eds), What can nanotechnology learn
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the debate over agrifood biotechnology and GMOs, Food science and
technology series, Academic Press, 2008, http://books.google.nl/
books?id=DljpjLEjCM0C&source=gbs_navlinks_s
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Evers, J., Aerts, S., De Tavernier, J. An Ethical Argument in Favour of
Nano-enabled Diagnostics in Livestock Disease Control, in Nanoethics
Vol 2, No 2, August 2008, http://www.springerlink.com/content/
t1871473wx614047/?p=d70ba4115d0a4a8fa341cd957c99a405&pi=3
12
http://www.observatorynano.eu/project/filesystem/files/
AgrifoodEHSanalysis_Aug10.pdf
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http://www.observatorynano.eu/project/filesystem/files/
DevelopmentsInNanotechnologiesRegulationandStandards_2011.pdf
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http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/faqs/faqnanotechnology.htm
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European Commission, EASAC and JRC. Impact of engineered nanomaterials on health: considerations for benefit-risk assessment, 2011,
ISBN 978-92-79-20446-3