Nanotechnology is considered a multidisciplinary science. It is defined as the control of matter at the atomic and molecular levels. Some fields where nanotechnology has been applied are the food industry, agriculture, and health. Within nanotechnology, nanoencapsulation is a strategy developed in recent years for the protection of food ingredients, nutraceuticals, fertilizers, and drugs. These nanomaterials can be made in the form of nanospheres, nanocapsules, nanofibers, and thin films, and have properties unique to the matter. Multiple technologies have been utilized to produce nanoencapsulates; some of these include electrospraying, electrospinning, antisolvent-dialysis, spray drying, microemulsion, casting and hot-melt extrusion. Different structures have been used to make these nanomaterials.

Plants and their waste are an important resource for obtaining biopolymers such as proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids that have the ability to form nanomaterials. Plant-based nanomaterials have advantages over other nanomaterials because they are biodegradable, biocompatible, and generally recognized as safe by FDA. These advantages are important for their applications in different sectors. Several studies have focused on the use of prolamines (zein, kafirin, hordein, gliadin) and pea and soy protein, and the use of polysaccharides such as cellulose and its derivatives, starch, pectin, polylactic acid, gums, and lignin. Applications in the food sector include the encapsulation of antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds to increase the shelf life of food products, and the encapsulation of pigments and flavor compounds to improve the sensory properties of food. In agriculture, nanomaterials are used to improve the uptake of plant fertilizers such as urea and for the encapsulation of pesticides. In health, applications include improving the bioavailability of antioxidant compounds and drugs, as well as providing the capacity for prolonged or controlled release, as well as the design of nanomaterials to be more directed to the target organ.

Therefore, the objective of this Special Issue is to publish original research and review articles that focus on the development of plant-based nanomaterials and their applications, giving emphasis to new or existing biopolymers as raw materials for the development of these nanomaterials. The development of encapsulation techniques with the modification of its variables to obtain the best encapsulation parameters, as well as showing its applications in different areas, is also of interest.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• New raw material polymers for the development of nanomaterials
• Development of plant-based protein nanomaterials
• Development of plant-based polysaccharide nanomaterials
• Development of plant-based lipid nanomaterials
• Evaluation of techniques for developing plant-based nanomaterials
• Development of plant-based nanomaterials to increase the shelf life of food products
• Plant-based nanomaterials for food packaging
• Plant-based nanocomposites
• Controlled release of fertilizers and pesticides from plant-based nanomaterials
• Protection of antioxidant biomolecules by plant-based nanomaterials
• Protection of antimicrobial biomolecules by plant-based nanomaterials
• Plant-based nanomaterials to increase the bioavailability of drugs and bioactive compounds
• Development of plant-based nanomaterials to increase target organ specificity
• Plant-based smart nanomaterials
• Plant-based nanomaterials for wound dressing applications