Nanotechnology has the capability to transform the nature of food packaging materials in future.  Certain nanoscale innovations could bring amazing improvements to food packaging in the forms of detection of pathogens, smart & active packaging, and barrier & mechanical properties. One popular and common example of nanotechnology in food packaging is the use of nanolayer of aluminum that coats the interior of many snack food packages.

Nanocomposites: At the forefront of food packaging development
Nanocomposite packages are likely to contribute significantly in the food packaging market in coming future. According to the estimation by Principia Markets, a consulting firm that tracks the plastics market, the nanocomposites market will reach 1 billion pounds by 2010. In the large part, nanoscience offers several extraordinary benefits to improve food packages like  advancements in fundamental characteristics of food packaging materials such as antimicrobial properties, barrier properties, strength, and stability to heat and cold.

The commercialization of nanocomposite materials was started by Toyota in the late 1980s. It was only in 1990s that research on use of nanocomposites for food packaging started. In most of the researches, montmorillonite clay has been used as the nanocomponent in a number of polymers like polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, nylon, and starch. The amount of nanoclays used differ from 1% to 5% by weight. Nanocomponents must have 1 dimension less than 1 nm wide.

Other Nanotechnology Improvements
There are other improvements in the nanotechnology happening as well. Here are some most important of them:

Carbon Nanotubes:  They are cylinders with nanoscale diameters that can be used in food packaging to improve its mechanical properties. It has been recently discovered that they might exhibit powerful antimicrobial effects. E coli died immediately as and when it came in direct contact with aggregates of carbon nanotubes.
Nanosensors: They are other improvement that has the potential to affect the food packaging. It would easily detect pathogens, toxins and chemicals in foods. A number of research reports have described the detection methods for toxins, allergens, bacteria, and viruses using nanotechnology.
Nano-wheels: They also adds to the improvement in food packaging. These molecules are incorporated into plastics in order to enhance their barrier & mechanical properties.
Nanovesicles: Another important development, nanovesicles are capable of detecting E. coli 0157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp.. Liposome nanovesicles have been devised to detect peanut allergen proteins.

DNA Biochips:They have been under development for quite some time now, to detect pathogens. Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania and Monell Chemical Sciences Center have used nano-sized carbon tubes coated with DNA strands to create nanosensors. These nanosensors have the  abilities to detect odors and tastes. A carbon nanotube functions as the transmitter while a single strand of DNA function as the sensor.

Another area where research work is going full fledged is the biodegradable nanocomposite food packages. The packaged films can be produced with exfoliated clay layers by pumping carbohydrates and clay fillers through high shear cells. They act as effective moisture barriers by incrementing the tortuosity of the path water takes to penetrate the films. Such types of materials help achieve enough increment in film strength.