ESEM-EDS-based analytical approach to assess nanoparticles for food safety and environmental control.

Particulate contamination in the form of nanoparticles (NPs) can occur not only in the environment but also in the food production chain, making human exposure almost inevitable. In the present study the potentialities of Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (ESEM-EDS) were exploited for the detection and visualization of inorganic NPs in air, raw materials and food products along the pasta production chain (wheat ear, wheat, semolina and pasta). Investigation of the elemental composition of NPs in the same samples was also carried out by using two independent techniques: ESEM-EDS and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).