NANOTECH IN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PART 1

RISKS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE

After finding evidence of nanotechnology in local beef and chicken, I started testing processed foods. A friend told me about a Spanish-language Telegram group called: Mira Al Microscopio, where microscopists had been posting evidence of graphene they’d found in foods, medications, and other consumer products.  

When I started looking at foods and beverages in cans, boxes and packages, I was shocked to find strange spheres, ribbons and, occasionally, other signs of technology in things I ate on a regular basis.

Strange strands I found in papaya. This wasn’t near the side of the slide or cover glass (above)

Spheres in fresh papaya (above).

I figured I’d avoid processed foods whenever possible and stick to organic items as much as I could. Sadly, I soon learned that it isn’t that simple. Because nanotechnology is largely unregulated, even items marked organic are often not immune. (Nanotechnology is widely used at all stages of the farming process. It’s even used to coat seeds, so avoiding foods with pesticides is not enough).

Prior to leaving Ecuador for a trip home to the U.S. in March, I learned that a bill had recently been introduced in the State of Tennessee that called for the labelling of foods containing vaccines and vaccine parts. What? Foods containing vaccines?

The Tennessee Bill was prompted by research done in California that made it possible to put vaccines into lettuce, tomatoes and tobacco. When I started looking into this online, I was quickly met with information from ‘official’ sources, insisting that there aren’t any vaccines in foods. If there were, would they tell us?

Once in California, I started looking at produce. I didn’t see anything in lettuce, but found lots of manmade spherical objects in tomatoes similar to the ones I’d seen in oatmeal milk, soft drinks, canned beans, hot sauce, and many, many other products.  Just out of curiosity, I checked a banana made by Dole in Ecuador and shipped to the U.S. The banana had a sticker on it that said: “USDA Organic”. Yup. more suspicious spheres:

Those spheres weren’t seeds. (Pardon the picture quality. I was using a less expensive, portable microscope).

Since my return to Ecuador, I’ve found signs of manmade, micro-sized spheres in bananas and tomatoes (here), as well as: apples, six brands of fresh blueberries, a green pepper, a papaya, and several other consumable items, including one area’s tap water.

Spheres in blueberries (above)

Connected spheres in another banana (above)

What were these spheres I was seeing? Why did they seem to be in most of the food I tested? Were they dangerous to human health? If so, how dangerous?

Fortunately for Tennessee, TN HB32/SB88 passed. Selling foods that contain: “….a vaccine or vaccine material…,” without appropriate labelling  is now illegal in the State.  The above quote is from: “Issue: Labelling of foods that include vaccine materials” – IDPN, idpn Infectious Disease Prevention Network, https://diseasepreventionnetwork.org, (Accessed: October 4, 2024).

Hum, vaccine materials…  That’s where things get a bit tricky…. Liposomes, and other structures used in Covid-19 vaccines, are also used in the agricultural industry, ostensibly, for other purposes. Although the chemical and mechanical properties of these structures may differ, they may still be recognized as foreign objects by the body, and have negative impacts on health. Most articles I read started off praising nanotechnology in the food industry, and later admitted that more research needed to be done to assess it’s health consequences.

I later learned that many, if not most, of the spheres I was seeing in food products were probably liposomes.  However, there are a number of other manmade spherical objects I could have been seeing with an optical microscope. These include: Biopolymer Nanoparticles; Colloidosomes; Filled Microgels; and Multiple Emulsions. (I know liposomes are used in agriculture, but I’m not certain about the others).

All of these spherical objects, including liposomes, can be classified as: nanoscale delivery systems. They hold and protect substances, which are later released to perform certain functions. Each of these objects has it’s own chemical and mechanical properties that may affect the body differently.

Even if all of the spheres I had seen in produce were liposomes, which I have reason to doubt, the risks posed by some liposomes are worthy of discussion.

Liposomes have at least one lipid bilayer. Some have several. They can contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances within their layers, and are often used to deliver drugs, gene therapies, and other substances to cells.

In agriculture, they can be used to encapsulate and release ingredients used in fertilizers and pesticides, as well as deliver microbials to plants to ward off disease. There are some inherent health risks involved when liposomes are used for certain purposes.  As you can imagine, eating microbials in your fruit salad could negatively affect your gut biome and lead to a host of health problems.

Liposomes are not classified as nanotechnology per se; but can merge with human cells; alter genetic properties, and carry and release nanoparticles. In addition, I do believe I have caught them assisting with self-assembly. For these reasons, I’m classifying them as a type of technology here.

A lot of the risk associated with liposomes, and other manmade spheres carrying nanoparticles, has to do with the materials used to make them, and the payloads they are carrying. This matters a lot because these spheres can have a strong impact on our bodies. Liposomes, for instance, can sometimes affect cell-to-cell communication as well as the contents of cells themselves.

Some liposomes are relatively nontoxic, but others are coated with Polyethylene Glycol. This is sometimes done to delay the dispersal of liposome contents. Although Polyethylene Glycol is banned in foods in some countries, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in the U.S. allows its use.  It is widely known that this substance causes anaphylactic shock in people who are allergic to it, and may lead to death. (One would hope the amounts used in the food industry aren’t sufficient to cause this, but there are a lot of unknowns in this area.)

The subject of nanotechnology in agriculture and its potential dangers, is highly complex. Modern agriculture includes the use of biosensors, graphene, titanium oxide, and other things most of us would prefer to stay away from.

The more I study this stuff, the more horrified I am. But… I can also see why a lot people view nanotechnology in farming as a good thing. It makes production easier. Unfortunately, nothing is that simple when looked at more deeply.

TIPS FOR BEGINNING MICROSCOPY RESEARCHERS:

Differentiating spherical shapes in fluids can be difficult when you first start out. It’s easy to think air bubbles might be manmade spheres and visa versa. The easiest way to tell is to look at the thickness of the outside border of the sphere. Those that are thicker than normal are more likely to be manmade. When in doubt, it helps to look at the spheres you find in both brightfield and darkfield.

I found this sphere in a papaya sample using brightfield, and thought it was a bit suspicious. It seemed a bit florescent (another sign), but it didn’t have a thick outer border. When I looked at it is darkfield, I saw a sphere inside of it. I’m still not sure exactly sure what it is, but I’m beginning to think my suspicions are justified.

Brightfield:

Darkfield:

As someone without any formal education in chemistry or agricultural science, I find materials on nanotechnology in agriculture and foods, challenging at best. If you see any mistakes here, please feel free to correct me. It will help stimulate more research and learning.

Thank you so much for reading this. Please share it with others in your circle. Stay tuned for: Nanotech in Fruits and Vegetables, Part 2.