EAGER: Implications of Engineered Nanoparticles in the Natural Food Supply

提案标题：工程纳米颗粒对天然食品供应的影响首席研究员：阿德里安合作研究所：佛罗里达农业和机械大学提案编号：1019166 EAGER：工程纳米颗粒对天然食品的影响Adrienne T.Cooper，生物和农业系统工程农业科学学院工程、技术和农业学院Clifford J.Louime和Odemari Mbuya佛罗里达A&Amm大学，塔拉哈西，佛罗里达州32307 INTRODUCTION工程纳米颗粒的使用在过去十年中大幅增加。工程纳米颗粒(ENPs)具有广泛的用途，从个人护理产品到光电子、人体药物输送、环境修复、工业催化剂和能源储存等等。ENPs的这种广泛使用导致它们释放到环境中，并随后被引入水生和大气系统。这进而导致它们被用于人类消费的农作物吸收。到目前为止，关于纳米颗粒对植物的影响的研究主要集中在它们的植物毒性上。这里提出的研究将集中在植物吸收纳米颗粒对食品供应的质量和安全的影响。我们的首要研究目标是追踪纳米颗粒从它们在环境中释放到食物供应的命运和运输。我们的假设是，纳米颗粒的形态和表面特征可以与给定植物类型中的特定行为相关。然后，这些相关性可以用来为广泛类别的植物和不同类别的纳米颗粒建立物理和数学模型，这些模型将允许相当快速和准确地估计特定植物中特定纳米颗粒的命运。BROADER IMPACT这项拟议的研究如果成功，将为开发一系列模型奠定基础，这些模型可能被用来阐明食品中纳米颗粒的命运。此外，开发这些模型的方法也可以适用于食品供应中的其他类型的污染物，也可以应用于纳米颗粒相互作用的其他方面。除了培养一名研究生外，本科生还将通过工程科学、技术和农业学院的研究和推广学者计划参与研究。

Proposal Title: EAGER - Implications of Engineered Nanoparticles in the Natural Food SupplyPrincipal Investigator: Adrienne CooperInstitution: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityProposal No: 1019166EAGER: IMPLICATIONS OF ENGINEERED NANOPARTICLES ON THE NATURAL FOOD SUPPLYAdrienne T. Cooper, Biological and Agricultural Systems EngineeringClifford J. Louime and Odemari Mbuya, Agricultural Sciences College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and AgricultureFlorida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307 INTRODUCTIONThe use of engineered nanoparticles (particles ranging from 1-100nm in at least one dimension) has increased tremendously within the last decade. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have found a wide range of uses from personal care products to optical electronics, for human drug delivery, environmental remediation, as industrial catalysts, and for energy storage, to name afew. This widespread use of ENPs has led to their release into the environment and subsequent introduction into aquatic and atmospheric systems. This, in turn, leads to their uptake in agricultural crops intended for human consumption.INTELLECTUAL MERITTo date, research on the effects of nanoparticles on plants has focused primarily on their phytotoxicity. The research proposed herein, will focus on the impact of plant uptake of nanoparticles on the quality and safety of the food supply. Our overarching research goal is to track the fate and transport of nanoparticles from their release in the environment into the food supply. It is our hypothesis that morphology and surface characteristics of nanoparticles can be correlated to specific behavior within a given plant type. The correlations can then be used to develop physical and mathematical models for broad categories of plants and distinct classes of nanoparticles that will allow for a reasonably rapid and accurate estimation of the fate of specific nanoparticles in specific plants.BROADER IMPACTThe proposed research, if successful, will provide the groundwork for the development of a series of models that may be used to elucidate the fate of nanoparticles in food. In addition,the methodology for development of these models could also apply to other types of contaminants in the food supply, and may also be applied to other aspects of nanoparticles interactions. In addition to the training of one graduate student, undergraduate students will be involved in the research through the Research and Extension Scholars program in the College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture.