Metal nanoparticles for controlling fungal proliferation: quantitative analysis and applications

Metal nanoparticles represent a potential alternative solution to prevent fungal proliferation in foodstuffs since they can effectively act as fungicidal agents. Several applications of metal nanoparticles in food safety are currently available (e.g. packaging material, air filters coatings) although toxicity issues should always be considered when designing new applications. While different experimental procedures for antifungal activity assessement of metal nanoparticles are available, more quantitative data, including safety limits and effective concentrations, should still be collected and processed by predictive mycology tools. This manuscript revises techniques which could be used to assess effectively the antifungal activity of nanoparticles at a microscopic and macroscopic level which can be used in tandem with appropriate predictive mycology quantitative tools. It also provides an overview of the potential applications of such nanoparticles, their mode of action, and toxicity. Applications of metal nanoparticles and current trends are summarized and are presented in relation to food packaging, air filter coating and water disinfection, among others.