Understanding the Dynamic Hazard Potential of Nanomaterials in Response to Material Transformation along the Food Value Chain

拟议的研究计划旨在了解纳米材料（NMs）在食品加工、烹饪、储存和随后消费的生物加工条件下的转化所产生的动态危害潜力。这项研究计划的长期目标是开发预测毒理学，基于纳米粒子安全设计的缓解策略和基于科学证据的监管控制。目前，纳米技术在食品和农业领域的应用市场份额估计为0.9万亿美元。纳米材料赋予的新功能特性被用于农业（纳米农药、兽药）、食品接触材料（包装和加工表面）、食品加工（抗结块剂）和食品添加剂，以改善食品的有机控制和保质期特性。然而，人体暴露于经口服途径进入的纳米粒子的可能性，以及在很大程度上未知的生物学后果，引起了人们对纳米粒子在食品和农业中的应用安全性的担忧。关于纳米颗粒对胃肠道相关细胞和组织的毒性，以及纳米颗粒在食品生产、加工、储存和消费价值链中的转化，目前还存在明显的知识空白。假设食品中应用的纳米粒子的危害潜势会沿着其价值链发生变化，这是由于影响食品加工和纳米粒子在体内转移的环境条件所引起的物质转化。拟建项目的短期目标（五年内）是通过开发在食品和农业部门应用的大批量生产的纳米材料（二氧化硅、二氧化钛、氧化锌、高岭土粘土、纤维素和银）的组成和组合库，以及在食品加工、储存和消费条件下产生的纳米材料及其变体，来解决上述知识空白。利用与胃肠道相关的离体和体内模型研究这些NMs的理化特性，并研究它们的危害概况。纳米颗粒的物理化学特征及其生物学结果的数据将用于计算模型，以生成纳米颗粒的性质-活性关系和危害等级。综合从这些研究中获得的知识，设想对在粮食和农业中应用的新环境管理方法进行现实和相关的风险评估。

The proposed research program aims to understand the dynamic hazard potential arising from transformation of nanomaterials (NMs) in response to conditions of food processing, cooking, storage and biological processing ensuing consumption. The long term goal of this research program is to develop predictive toxicology, mitigation strategies based on safe-by-design of NMs and regulatory controls based on scientific evidence. Current market share for nanotechnology applications in food and agriculture sector is estimated to be 0.9 trillion USD. Novel functional properties imparted by NMs are exploited in, agriculture (nano-sized pesticides, veterinary medicines), food contact materials (packaging and processing surfaces), food processing (anti-caking agents) and food additives to improve the organo-leptic and shelf-life properties of food. However, possibility of human exposure to NMs added with the largely unknown biological consequences of NMs entering through oral route raises concerns over safety of NMs applied in food and agriculture. There are prominent knowledge gaps on the toxicity of NMs to the cells and tissues of relevance to gastro intestinal tract, and the transformation of NMs along the value chain of food production, processing, storage, and consumption. It is hypothesized that the hazard potential of NMs applied in food will change along its value chain because of material transformation caused by environmental conditions prevailing the food processing and transition of NMs through the body. The short-term objectives (within five years) of the proposed project are to address the above mentioned knowledge gaps by developing compositional and combinatorial libraries of, high volume production NMs with application in food and agriculture sector (Silicon dioxide, Titanium dioxide, Zinc oxide, halloysite clay, cellulose and silver) and their variants generated by subjecting NMs to conditions of food processing, storage and consumption, characterization of these NMs for physicochemical properties and studying their hazard profile using in vitro and in vivo models relevant to gastro intestinal tract (GI tract). The data from physico-chemical characterization of NMs and their biological outcome will be used for computational modelling for generating property-activity relationships and hazard ranking of NM. Integrating knowledge gained from these studies is envisaged to yield realistic and relevant risk assessment of ENMs applied in food and agriculture.